Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Log inSign up
Challenges
Datasets
Workspaces
Papers
Discussions
Leaderboard
Blog
Job Board
Q3AS

© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

TermsPrivacyLegal Notice

Springer eBooks

A Dual and Quantum Nature

Plinio Innocenzi

Published Jan 1, 2025• 0 citations
Publisher

Abstract

The discovery of the electron and its strange properties is the cornerstone of quantum mechanics. Based on their spin properties, photons and electrons, now categorized as fermions and bosons under the Standard Model, exhibit an enigmatic dual nature of wave and particle. This property, the interpretation of which is still debated today, is supported by various experiments, as we saw in Chap. 4 . One of these, in particular, can be considered the basis of any interpretative model on the dual nature of photons and electrons, the double-slit experiment. This experiment will lead to the famous Copenhagen interpretation, which is still a key to explain quantum mechanics today. With all its incredible weirdness, the double-slit experiment is thus the basis of quantum mechanics, as we shall see in this chapter. Experiments and interpretations of the strange quantum properties of the electron have also led to the discovery of other physical phenomena seemingly impossible according to classical physics, such as the tunnel effect and quantum entanglement. These phenomena have no classical equivalent and can be explained only by resorting to quantum properties of electrons.

DOI
10.1007/978-3-031-81984-1_6

Related papers

When quantum mechanics becomes less weird

Youssef El Fidali

Abstract For about a century, physicists have been debating over the behavior of particles on a microscopic scale. Although the principle of the wave-particle duality is accepted in the scientific community, many experiments with puzzling results are still challenging quantum mechanics until now, such as the double slit experiment, entanglement, interferences of a single electron, or delayed choice quantum eraser. In this article, we shall bring forth explanations for some of these experiments. Unlike standard quantum mechanics (SQM) built by Schr¨odinger1 and P.Dirac2 which considers that the wave function is an abstract mathematical tool, our model takes up the concept of the pilot wave once initiated by physicists De Broglie and D.Bohm,3 who suggested that the wave associated to a quantum object has a real existence and that it is not simply a wave of probability. We shall discuss how this old-new conception of reality renders quantum mechanics ultimately less mysterious than it seems.

•Mar 14, 2023•0 citations

Quantum Mechanics and Electrons: The Dual Nature of Electrons as Particles and Waves

Zisi Chen

Quantum mechanics, as a fundamental theory describing the microscopic world, has driven a revolution in physics over the past century. The wave-particle duality of electrons, as one of the core features of quantum mechanics, challenges the traditional understanding of matter in classical physics. Through wave-particle duality, electrons exhibit wave-like behavior in certain experiments and particle-like properties in others. This paper explores key concepts of quantum mechanics, such as the wave function and the Schrödinger equation, and verifies the wave and particle nature of electrons through experiments such as the double-slit experiment and Compton scattering. In addition, this paper discusses the integration of quantum field theory and quantum mechanics, emphasizing the profound impact of electron duality on modern physics and quantum technology. With the continuous development of quantum technology, the duality of electrons not only provides a theoretical foundation for fields such as quantum computing and quantum communication but also offers new directions for technological innovation in the future.

Journal of computer technology and electronic research.•Aug 15, 2025•0 citations

From the Single Electron to Spin

Plinio Innocenzi

The nature of the electron, a point particle according to the Standard Model, presents a paradox that challenges our ability to comprehend the physical reality. This paradox lies in the apparent contradiction between the complexity represented according to mathematical models that fully describe experimental results and the world around us perceived as a representation of an intuitive process. For example, how come all electrons are the same? As we shall see in this chapter, a seemingly simple question stimulated original reflections that later led to significant theoretical developments. Stern and Gerlach’s experiments demonstrated that the electron possesses an intrinsic property, the spin, whose generalization led to the distinction between fermions and bosons. The spin property, however, is apparently not reconcilable with the point properties of the electron. It has, in fact, not any analogue in classical physics. This incongruence also applies to the electron’s magnetic dipole moment. The key to everything is perhaps the spin property, which has Pauli’s Exclusion Principle as its consequence, to which we owe the existence of matter as we perceive it.

Springer eBooks•Jan 1, 2025•0 citations

Quantum Waves in Nature, a New Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics

John R. Carlson

We propose a new interpretation of quantum mechanics to address challenges of the Copenhagen Interpretation and to explain observations from certain double-slit experiments. We explore some characteristics of quantum mechanics and analyze a quantum mechanical model which leads us to the assumptions for our new interpretation. We show how quantized waves, like those in Schrodinger’s wave equation, might exist in nature and explain the fundamentals of quantum-scale processes including: the above-mentioned double-slit experiments, wave function collapse, quantum entanglement and quantum tunneling. We classify our interpretation based on commonly used criteria. Finally, we consider some future theoretical points and list some experimental questions. Our new interpretation has the potential to facilitate new theory and experiments leading to a better understanding of fundamental processes in nature and possibly new applications for quantum theory. Page 18 is updated and there is a new suggestion about entanglement on page 20.

•Feb 1, 2017•0 citations

Quantum interference of molecules -- probing the wave nature of matter

Anu Venugopalan

The double slit interference experiment has been famously described by Richard Feynman as containing the "only mystery of quantum mechanics". The history of quantum mechanics is intimately linked with the discovery of the dual nature of matter and radiation. While the double slit experiment for light is easily undertsood in terms of its wave nature, the very same experiment for particles like the electron is somewhat more difficult to comprehend. By the 1920s it was firmly established that electrons have a wave nature. However, for a very long time, most discussions pertaining to interference experiments for particles were merely gedanken experiments. It took almost six decades after the establishment of its wave nature to carry out a 'double slit interference' experiment for electrons. This set the stage for interference experiments with larger particles. In the last decade there has been spectacular progress in matter-wave interefernce experiments. Today, molecules with over a hundred atoms can be made to interfere. In the following we discuss some of these exciting developments which probe new regimes of Nature, bringing us closer to the heart of quantum mechanics and its hidden mysteries.

arXiv:1211.3493•Nov 15, 2012•0 citations

Electrons make waves

Akira Tonomura

At the atomic scale, the distinction between particles and waves breaks down. The realization, early in the twentieth century, that light consists of discrete packages, or “photons,” prompted the converse suggestion that particles could behave like waves. Confirmation of this idea came in 1927, from an experiment involving the scattering of electrons from a crystal. Today, “wave-particle duality” is central to quantum mechanics, and the wave properties of subatomic particles are widely used in microscopy and crystallography. Electron diffraction techniques are widely used to characterize atomic arrangements on solid surfaces and inside thin films, and to investigate the structures of molecules in gases. The dual nature of waves and particles is part of the “spookiness” of quantum mechanics, which cannot be explained in any classical way. It used to be that one could only imagine an experiment that would simultaneously demonstrate the particle and wave nature of electrons.

University of Chicago Press eBooks•Jan 1, 2003•0 citations
The discovery of the electron and its strange properties is the cornerstone of quantum mechanics. Based on their spin properties, photons and electrons, now categorized as fermions and bosons under the Standard Model, exhibit an enigmatic dual nature of wave and particle. This property, the interpretation of which is still debated today, is supported by various experiments, as we saw in Chap. 4 . One of these, in particular, can be considered the basis of any interpretative model on the dual nature of photons and electrons, the double-slit experiment. This experiment will lead to the famous Copenhagen interpretation, which is still a key to explain quantum mechanics today. With all its incredible weirdness, the double-slit experiment is thus the basis of quantum mechanics, as we shall see in this chapter. Experiments and interpretations of the strange quantum properties of the electron have also led to the discovery of other physical phenomena seemingly impossible according to classical physics, such as the tunnel effect and quantum entanglement. These phenomena have no classical equivalent and can be explained only by resorting to quantum properties of electrons.
Abstract For about a century, physicists have been debating over the behavior of particles on a microscopic scale. Although the principle of the wave-particle duality is accepted in the scientific community, many experiments with puzzling results are still challenging quantum mechanics until now, such as the double slit experiment, entanglement, interferences of a single electron, or delayed choice quantum eraser. In this article, we shall bring forth explanations for some of these experiments. Unlike standard quantum mechanics (SQM) built by Schr¨odinger1 and P.Dirac2 which considers that the wave function is an abstract mathematical tool, our model takes up the concept of the pilot wave once initiated by physicists De Broglie and D.Bohm,3 who suggested that the wave associated to a quantum object has a real existence and that it is not simply a wave of probability. We shall discuss how this old-new conception of reality renders quantum mechanics ultimately less mysterious than it seems.
Quantum mechanics, as a fundamental theory describing the microscopic world, has driven a revolution in physics over the past century. The wave-particle duality of electrons, as one of the core features of quantum mechanics, challenges the traditional understanding of matter in classical physics. Through wave-particle duality, electrons exhibit wave-like behavior in certain experiments and particle-like properties in others. This paper explores key concepts of quantum mechanics, such as the wave function and the Schrödinger equation, and verifies the wave and particle nature of electrons through experiments such as the double-slit experiment and Compton scattering. In addition, this paper discusses the integration of quantum field theory and quantum mechanics, emphasizing the profound impact of electron duality on modern physics and quantum technology. With the continuous development of quantum technology, the duality of electrons not only provides a theoretical foundation for fields such as quantum computing and quantum communication but also offers new directions for technological innovation in the future.
The nature of the electron, a point particle according to the Standard Model, presents a paradox that challenges our ability to comprehend the physical reality. This paradox lies in the apparent contradiction between the complexity represented according to mathematical models that fully describe experimental results and the world around us perceived as a representation of an intuitive process. For example, how come all electrons are the same? As we shall see in this chapter, a seemingly simple question stimulated original reflections that later led to significant theoretical developments. Stern and Gerlach’s experiments demonstrated that the electron possesses an intrinsic property, the spin, whose generalization led to the distinction between fermions and bosons. The spin property, however, is apparently not reconcilable with the point properties of the electron. It has, in fact, not any analogue in classical physics. This incongruence also applies to the electron’s magnetic dipole moment. The key to everything is perhaps the spin property, which has Pauli’s Exclusion Principle as its consequence, to which we owe the existence of matter as we perceive it.
We propose a new interpretation of quantum mechanics to address challenges of the Copenhagen Interpretation and to explain observations from certain double-slit experiments. We explore some characteristics of quantum mechanics and analyze a quantum mechanical model which leads us to the assumptions for our new interpretation. We show how quantized waves, like those in Schrodinger’s wave equation, might exist in nature and explain the fundamentals of quantum-scale processes including: the above-mentioned double-slit experiments, wave function collapse, quantum entanglement and quantum tunneling. We classify our interpretation based on commonly used criteria. Finally, we consider some future theoretical points and list some experimental questions. Our new interpretation has the potential to facilitate new theory and experiments leading to a better understanding of fundamental processes in nature and possibly new applications for quantum theory. Page 18 is updated and there is a new suggestion about entanglement on page 20.
The double slit interference experiment has been famously described by Richard Feynman as containing the "only mystery of quantum mechanics". The history of quantum mechanics is intimately linked with the discovery of the dual nature of matter and radiation. While the double slit experiment for light is easily undertsood in terms of its wave nature, the very same experiment for particles like the electron is somewhat more difficult to comprehend. By the 1920s it was firmly established that electrons have a wave nature. However, for a very long time, most discussions pertaining to interference experiments for particles were merely gedanken experiments. It took almost six decades after the establishment of its wave nature to carry out a 'double slit interference' experiment for electrons. This set the stage for interference experiments with larger particles. In the last decade there has been spectacular progress in matter-wave interefernce experiments. Today, molecules with over a hundred atoms can be made to interfere. In the following we discuss some of these exciting developments which probe new regimes of Nature, bringing us closer to the heart of quantum mechanics and its hidden mysteries.
At the atomic scale, the distinction between particles and waves breaks down. The realization, early in the twentieth century, that light consists of discrete packages, or “photons,” prompted the converse suggestion that particles could behave like waves. Confirmation of this idea came in 1927, from an experiment involving the scattering of electrons from a crystal. Today, “wave-particle duality” is central to quantum mechanics, and the wave properties of subatomic particles are widely used in microscopy and crystallography. Electron diffraction techniques are widely used to characterize atomic arrangements on solid surfaces and inside thin films, and to investigate the structures of molecules in gases. The dual nature of waves and particles is part of the “spookiness” of quantum mechanics, which cannot be explained in any classical way. It used to be that one could only imagine an experiment that would simultaneously demonstrate the particle and wave nature of electrons.