Louis de Broglie
(1892-1987)
France
On August 18, 1892, a noble family gave birth to a child they named Louis de Broglie. Louis was the second child of the Broglie family. His brother, Maurice, his older brother who was also became a physicist, made contributions to the study of the atomic nucleus. Maurice kept a thoroughly stocked laboratory in the family mansion in Paris, and Louis would occasionally help his brother with his work.
Louis never got married and he became the 7th duc de Broglie when his older brother, Maurice died without an heir.
He really only was interested in the conceptual side of science and had originally planned to have a career in humanities after earning his first degree in history. He later became more interested in mathematics and physics and earned a degree in physics. He liked to think about the unsolved conceptual problems of atomic physics. He helped the army during World War I by helping to develop radio communications.
Broglie developed a new theory of electron waves. He based some of his ideas on Einstein’s earlier ideas that the matter on the atomic scale might have the properties of a wave. Einstein thought that some short wavelength light might behave as if it was made up of particles. Broglie applied this idea of the ‘dual nature of light’ to matter as well.
In his ideas, Broglie explained why electron movement in a nucleus can be restricted. It would be restricted in shape and therefore in motion because if it didn’t fit within the atomic boundaries it would interfere with itself and be cancelled out. His theory that particles of matter have wavelike properties that can cause interference in an atom are associated with standing waves on a Bohr orbit.
Broglie’s idea of “matter waves” didn’t get much attention at first. Albert Einstein was excited by it and not only said it was important but also built further on it.
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