Hi, I’m Mr.

Photon!
Timeless
Massless
Fastest
“Everything we call real is made
of things that cannot be
regarded as real.”

– NIELS BOHR
 Team Members

Mousumi
Karim

Fatematun Nur
Tofa

Ariful
Hassan

Sumiya Nuj
Shamanta

Chowdhury Tasneem Jahan

Srabon

Farhan Shahriar Chowdhury

Rafee
 Wave-particle Duality

It is a concept in quantum physics that quantum entities exhibit particle or

wave properties according to the experimental circumstances.
 De Broglie Hypothesis

It proposes that all matter exhibits wave-like properties and relates the
observed wavelength of matter to its momentum.

De Broglie wavelength:
 Derivation of De Broglie wavelength equation:

Two well established theories were used to derive De Broglie wavelength.

1. Einstein's equation of matter and energy,

2. Planck's equation of photon energy,

2
𝐸 =𝑚𝑐 = h𝑣
2 h𝑣
𝑚𝑣
So, =
λ

So, m

h
So, =
λ
m 𝑣

This is De Broglie wavelength

equation.
 h
λ=
m𝑣

Here, λ represents the wavelength which is a

wavemnature.
represents the mass which is a particle
nature.
 Wave like Nature of light and matter with
Experimental Evidence

The Double-Slit Davisson-Germer

Experiment Experiment

Interference Diffraction
Interference pattern in double-slit experiment

A series of dark and

bright spots are
observed.

Superposition of waves
cause this.
Constructive interference Destructive interference
causes bright spot. causes dark spot.
 BOTH
PHOTONS AND
ELECTRONS
SHOW THIS
WAVE NATURE.
Davission-Germer Experiment

 Electrons are incident on nickel

crystal.

 Scattered from crystal surface.

 Observed concentric rings with

gradually decreasing intensity.

DIFFRACTION!!
 Electron diffraction X-ray diffraction

The scattered electrons have to The pattern matches with the

be waves, else diffraction can’t diffraction of X-rays.
be explained.
X-rays are E-M waves. So are
electrons!
 Particle like Nature of light and matter
with Experimental Evidence

The Compton
The Photo-Electric
Scattering
Effect
Experiment
 Photoelectric Effect
The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons when electromagnetic radiation, such as light, hits a material.
 Predictions based on light as a wave

The kinetic energy of emitted photoelectrons should increase with the light
amplitude.
 KEY OBSERVATIONS ON PHOTOELECTRIC EFFECT

• The emission of photoelectrons begins almost immediately when light is incident

on the photocathode, indicating that it is an instantaneous process.

• The kinetic energy of the emitted photoelectrons depends on the frequency (color) of
the incident light.
Higher-frequency light results in photoelectrons with greater kinetic energy.

• There is a threshold frequency below which no photoelectrons are emitted,

regardless of the light's intensity.

In summary, the photoelectric effect demonstrates that

light behaves as discrete packets of energy (photons) rather than a continuous wave.
 Comption’s Scattering Experiment

Compton scattering, also known as the Compton effect, is a fundamental phenomenon in

quantum physics that describes the scattering of photons (particles of light) by charged
particles, typically electrons.

Figure:Compton’s Scattering Experiment

 Expected Behavior

If X-rays were purely electromagnetic waves, they would be expected to scatter without a change in frequency or
wavelength when interacting with the electrons in the target material. This is what classical physics predicted

Particle Like Nature

However, Compton's experiments revealed something different . He observed that the scattered X-rays had longer
wavelengths (lower frequencies) than the incident X-ray and the change in wavelength (Δλ) was directly
proportional to the scattering angle (θ) and inversely proportional to the mass of the electron .

Explanation

To explain this phenomenon, Compton proposed that X-rays have particle-like characteristics. When an X-ray
photon interacted with an electron, it transferred some of its energy to the electron, causing it to recoil. The
scattered X-ray photon had less energy (lower frequency) than the incident photon because some of its energy had
been transferred to the recoiling electron.
At last , The Photoelectric and Compton scattering
experimental evidence provided strong support for
the concept of particle nature of light which is a
fundamental aspect of quantum mechanics.
WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY SAVES AN ATOM
Rutherford’s alpha particle scattering experiment
gives the concept about the structure of the atom.
That is the total mass of the atom is concentrated
in the center of the atom and electrons revolve
around it. Afterwards Bohr’s atomic model gave
the concept of circular path of moving electrons.
Figure: Atomic Model

But there is a problem with this model. According to

Maxwell’s Electromagnetic Theorem if any charged
particle revolves in a circular path it will continuously
emit energy and for this reason the termination of
revolution slowly decreases.
WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY SAVES AN
ATOM
And we all know that electron is a charged
particle . So, moving around the nucleus
electrons should lose energy in the form of
radiation and slowly spiral inwards and collapse
with the nucleus . Ultimately atoms would have
destroyed and nothing will ever exist!!!

But this doesn’t happen, right ? Because

electrons not only behave as a particle but
also a wave!
WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY SAVES AN ATOM
Now imagine a standing wave oscillates with some
wavelength so that the length of the string is the
integral multiple of half of the wavelength.

L n
2
Imaging the same thing for the circular orbit, then
Figure: A Standing Wave
the circumference will be the length.

2 r n
2
WAVE PARTICLE DUALITY SAVES THE ATOM
And the De Broglie wavelength is, = mv h
Now, we end up getting , mvr = nh
2
And this is the Bohr’s Condition for stable orbits.
That means , Whenever this condition is satisfied , the electrons form stable
standing wave pattern around the atom that do not collapse into the center.
So, that giving rise to a Stable Atom!

Figure: Formation of orbit of electrons like stable standing wave

 Confusions
• Sometimes particle, sometimes wave
• Notion of conscious observer
Wave or
Particle?
Wavetic
le Says Mr. Feynman
Understanding The Difference

[Electron detector]

Doesn’t matter how many Making sure that only one

electrons passed a slit at a time. electron passes a slit at a time.
Result = Waveticle Result = Particle
Let’s see the probability distribution curve for position

• According to Heisenberg’s
Uncertainty Principle, the
smaller the deviation of
position, the greater that of
momentum.
• The more the deviation gets
smaller, the more likely the
particle behavior arrives.
• In case of a PARTICLE, the
deviation of position is ZERO!!
 Notion Of Conscious Observer
• The observer was conscious in both cases. Yet the behavior varied.
Thus, consciousness isn’t really a factor here.
• Only reason that’s responsible is the experimental set up and
observational priority.
 Applications of De Broglie hypothesis

Electron microscope

De Broglie's hypothesis plays an important role in electron microscopy, which

allows scientists to visualize objects at the atomic and molecular scale
 Quantum chemistry

The de Broglie wavelength is used to describe the behavior of electrons in

molecular orbitals. It is a fundamental concept in understanding chemical
bonding and the electronic structure of molecules.
 Electron Energy Spectroscopy

Electron energy spectroscopy techniques provide valuable

information about the electronic structure and chemical
properties of materials and are widely used in scientific
research, industry, and various technological applications.
 Quantum tunneling

A quantum mechanical process where

wavefunctions can penetrate through a potential
barrier.