Locality, reflection, and wave-particle duality

F. Selleri

Laura Buteler, Luciano Ferrufino, Nicolás Velasco +2 more

Fundamental notions of quantum physics are included in introductory university curricula, in physics teacher training, and even in secondary education, both in Argentina and in various other countries worldwide. Among these fundamental concepts is wave-particle duality (WPD), a key concept and a gateway to the quantum world. This paper presents a critical review of the literature on WPD in specialized journals on physics education and science education at the local, regional, and international context, aiming to gather the most relevant findings regarding its teaching and learning. Preliminary results indicate that these findings can be categorized based on their primary purpose into four categories: Teaching WPD, Learning WPD, Historical and Epistemological Reflections on WPD and Reviews on the Teaching and Learning of Quantum Physics (including WPD).

Clinton Svancara

Wave-particle duality and the uncertainty principle are foundational manifestations of quantum behavior. This paper offers a structural interpretation from Relational Field Theory: wave-like behavior corresponds to regimes of low localization and transient distinctions, while particle-like behavior corresponds to regimes of high localization and persistent relational structure. Uncertainty reflects the structural trade-off between localization and delocalization, and quantum tunneling emerges naturally as delocalized configurations penetrate barriers. This regime-dependent view frames duality and uncertainty as expressions of the balance between stabilization and dissipation, complementing standard quantum mechanics.

Chen Yang, S. Olutunde Oyadiji

Abstract Wave-particle duality is the fundamental phenomenon of particles and fields in quantum mechanics. In the past, the trajectory-like (particle-like) behaviour and wave-like behaviour has been considered separately. In this article, a superimposed model is derived to characterise wave-particle duality of classical particles. The superimposed model reflects an invariant mathematical structure (analogous variables and differential equations) from classical mechanics, classical field theories and quantum mechanics. Its analytical solution carries trajectory-like property (phase-independent) and wave-like property (phase-dependent) of particles that is consistent with to Schrodinger’s picture. Subsequently, the presented model is applied to model duality of classical waves in electromagnetism, acoustics and elasticity. The analysis implies the existence of quantum effects of classical waves at macroscopic scale. It predicts quantum picture on energy and momentum exchange between classical particles and waves. As seen in the model, wave-particle duality reflects inherent and indispensable characteristics of classical objects.

Marius Borneas