Davisson-Germer Experiment, Another Interpretation

Friedel Weinert

Kanay Barik

V. Granata

In this chapter, we discuss the well celebrated Davisson-Germer experiment, that demonstrates the wave nature of the electron. Then, we present the table-top apparatus that reproduces the original experiment. We point out that such experimental set-up is easily usable by students, and it allows to measure the electron wavelength, thus confirming de Broglie’s hypothesis.

Bhanumoorthy Pullooru

Abstract Application of unitcell defined boundary conditions leads to the question on the formation of standing waves within unitcell. We design and propose X-ray version of Davisson-Germer experiment as the answer. In the proposed experiment, a tunable synchrotron beam replaces the variable de Broglie wavelength of incident electron beam. Among the two series of Davisson-Germer peaks from original experiments available in literature, first series shown in figure 1 demonstrates standing wave description and the second series shown in figure 2 demonstrates running wave description. Both running waves and standing waves cannot simultaneously exist within the unitcell and the proposed experiment alone can resolve between the two. The experiment can be conducted on a macromolecular crystal also.

D. I. Penner