© 2026 Aqora Quantum S.A.S.

Terms Privacy Legal Notice

arXiv:physics/9807012

Louis de Broglie und die Quantenmechanik

Henning Sievers

Published Jul 3, 1998• 2 citations

Abstract

In 1923 Louis de Broglie (1892-1987) discovered the material waves and six years later received the Nobel price for this discovery. Apart these well known facts this French physicist nevertheless seems to be forgotten. Details of his life are as unknown as his efforts to describe quantum mechanics in a deterministic and objective way. Especially the actual discussion concerning the interpretation of quantum mechanics seems to justify a deeper occupation with the scientific work of Louis de Broglie. In this context the important influence of Albert Einstein is of special interest; for his photons announce the existence of material waves and it may surprise that Einstein himself did not postulate them. The basis of this short scientific biography are the publications of de Broglie (a complete bibliography is given at the end), some more or less short memories of his students and some unpublished documents found in the "Archives de l'Academie des Sciences" at Paris. The original text of the correspondence between de Broglie and Einstein is enclosed in German translation in the appendix.

DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.physics/9807012

Related papers

75 Years of Matter Wave: Louis de Broglie and Renaissance of the Causally Complete Knowledge

Andrei P. Kirilyuk

A physically real wave associated with any moving particle and travelling in a surrounding material medium was introduced by Louis de Broglie in a series of short notes in 1923 and in a more complete form in his thesis defended in Paris on the 25th November 1924. This result, recognised by the Nobel Prize in 1929, gave rise to a major direction of "new physics" known today as "quantum mechanics". However, although such notions as "de Broglie wavelength" and "wave-particle duality" form the basis of the standard quantum theory, it actually only takes for granted (postulates) the formula for the particle wavelength and totally ignores the underlying causal, realistic and physically transparent picture of wave-particle dynamics outlined by Louis de Broglie in his thesis and further considerably developed in his later works, in the form of "double solution" and "hidden thermodynamics" theory. A price to pay for such rough deviation from the original de Broglian realism and consistency involves fundamental physics domination by purely abstract and mechanistically simplified schemes of formal symbols and rules that have led to a deep knowledge impasse justly described as "the end of science". However, a new, independent approach of "quantum field mechanics" (quant-ph/9902015, quant-ph/9902016, physics/0401164) created within the "universal science of complexity" (physics/9806002) provides many-sided confirmation and natural completion of de Broglie's "nonlinear wave mechanics", eliminating all its "difficult points" and reconstituting the causally complete, totally consistent and intrinsically unified picture of the real, complex micro-world dynamics directly extendible to all higher levels of unreduced world complexity.

arXiv:quant-ph/9911107•Nov 25, 1999•12 citations

Einstein as a Transitional Figure: The Birth of Wave Mechanics

A. Pais

Abstract We now leave the period of the old quantum theory and turn to the time of transition, during which matter waves were being discussed by a tiny group of physicists at a time when matter wave mechanics had not yet been discovered. This period begins in September 1923 with two brief communications by Louis de Broglie to the French Academy of Sciences [Bl, B2]. It ends in January 1926 with Schroedinger’s first paper on wave mechanics [S1). The main purpose of this chapter is to stress Einstein’s key role in these developments, his influence on de Broglie, de Broglie’s subsequent influence on him, and, finally, the influence of both on Schroedinger. Neither directly nor indirectly did Einstein contribute to an equally fundamental development that preceded Schroedinger’s discovery of wave mechanics: the discovery of matrix mechanics by Heisenberg [H1]. Therefore, I shall have no occasion in this book to comment in any detail on Heisenberg’s major achievements.

•Aug 25, 2005•0 citations

A few reasons why Louis de Broglie discovered matter waves and yet did not discover Schrödinger’s equation

Olivier Darrigol

In 1923 Louis de Broglie arrived at a shocking notion of matter waves through reasoning so forceful that Albert Einstein and a few quantum experts took it seriously. The purpose of this paper is to analyze de Broglie's discovery and to show how some of his heuristics prevented him to introduce the equation that now bears Schrödinger’s name.

ESI lectures in mathematics and physics•Apr 11, 2013•1 citation

LOUIS DE BROGLIE

Tibor Halaši, Snežana Kalamković, Martin Kalamković +1 more

The physicist Louis de Broglie (Louis Victor Pierre Raymond, 7th Duc de Broglie) conducted revolutionary research in the field of quantum mechanics. In his doctoral thesis (1924), he pointed out the dual nature of matter, and for that discovery he received the Nobel Prize in Physics (1929).

•Jan 1, 2024•0 citations

Physics and Microphysics

Martin Johnson

By L. de Broglie, translated by Martin Davidson. (London : Hutchinson's Scientific and Technical Publications.) Pp. 286. Price 21s. No physicist needs to be reminded that, in the decade when the ambiguity of the electron became critical through the experiments on diffraction, Louis de Broglie was the pioneer in developing the solution which we now call wave-mechanics. History therefore demands that products of his mature thought about the nature of physics should be read with respect.

Physics Bulletin•Sep 1, 1955•24 citations

De Broglie & Schrödinger

Jonathan Allday

In 1924, a young PhD student submitted a thesis containing the germ of an idea that would revolutionize our understanding of the material world. The student was Louis De Broglie, and for a while, he had been meditating on the wave/particle nature of light. De Broglie’s ideas were greeted rather sceptically at first. His PhD supervisor even asked for a second copy so he could send it to Einstein for his opinion. Einstein gave the work his seal of approval. News of De Broglie’s thesis spread around the physics community from 1924 to 1925. In autumn 1925, Erwin Schrodinger was visiting colleagues in Switzerland and was asked to present a summary of De Broglie’s work. Having studied De Broglie’s thesis in some detail he became an enthusiastic supporter. During the Christmas and New Year of 1925/1926, Schrodinger holidayed in the Alps with his mistress. On his return, he had a functioning wave equation worked out.

CRC Press eBooks•Sep 21, 2022•0 citations

In 1923 Louis de Broglie (1892-1987) discovered the material waves and six years later received the Nobel price for this discovery. Apart these well known facts this French physicist nevertheless seems to be forgotten. Details of his life are as unknown as his efforts to describe quantum mechanics in a deterministic and objective way. Especially the actual discussion concerning the interpretation of quantum mechanics seems to justify a deeper occupation with the scientific work of Louis de Broglie. In this context the important influence of Albert Einstein is of special interest; for his photons announce the existence of material waves and it may surprise that Einstein himself did not postulate them. The basis of this short scientific biography are the publications of de Broglie (a complete bibliography is given at the end), some more or less short memories of his students and some unpublished documents found in the "Archives de l'Academie des Sciences" at Paris. The original text of the correspondence between de Broglie and Einstein is enclosed in German translation in the appendix.

A physically real wave associated with any moving particle and travelling in a surrounding material medium was introduced by Louis de Broglie in a series of short notes in 1923 and in a more complete form in his thesis defended in Paris on the 25th November 1924. This result, recognised by the Nobel Prize in 1929, gave rise to a major direction of "new physics" known today as "quantum mechanics". However, although such notions as "de Broglie wavelength" and "wave-particle duality" form the basis of the standard quantum theory, it actually only takes for granted (postulates) the formula for the particle wavelength and totally ignores the underlying causal, realistic and physically transparent picture of wave-particle dynamics outlined by Louis de Broglie in his thesis and further considerably developed in his later works, in the form of "double solution" and "hidden thermodynamics" theory. A price to pay for such rough deviation from the original de Broglian realism and consistency involves fundamental physics domination by purely abstract and mechanistically simplified schemes of formal symbols and rules that have led to a deep knowledge impasse justly described as "the end of science". However, a new, independent approach of "quantum field mechanics" (quant-ph/9902015, quant-ph/9902016, physics/0401164) created within the "universal science of complexity" (physics/9806002) provides many-sided confirmation and natural completion of de Broglie's "nonlinear wave mechanics", eliminating all its "difficult points" and reconstituting the causally complete, totally consistent and intrinsically unified picture of the real, complex micro-world dynamics directly extendible to all higher levels of unreduced world complexity.

Abstract We now leave the period of the old quantum theory and turn to the time of transition, during which matter waves were being discussed by a tiny group of physicists at a time when matter wave mechanics had not yet been discovered. This period begins in September 1923 with two brief communications by Louis de Broglie to the French Academy of Sciences [Bl, B2]. It ends in January 1926 with Schroedinger’s first paper on wave mechanics [S1). The main purpose of this chapter is to stress Einstein’s key role in these developments, his influence on de Broglie, de Broglie’s subsequent influence on him, and, finally, the influence of both on Schroedinger. Neither directly nor indirectly did Einstein contribute to an equally fundamental development that preceded Schroedinger’s discovery of wave mechanics: the discovery of matrix mechanics by Heisenberg [H1]. Therefore, I shall have no occasion in this book to comment in any detail on Heisenberg’s major achievements.

In 1924, a young PhD student submitted a thesis containing the germ of an idea that would revolutionize our understanding of the material world. The student was Louis De Broglie, and for a while, he had been meditating on the wave/particle nature of light. De Broglie’s ideas were greeted rather sceptically at first. His PhD supervisor even asked for a second copy so he could send it to Einstein for his opinion. Einstein gave the work his seal of approval. News of De Broglie’s thesis spread around the physics community from 1924 to 1925. In autumn 1925, Erwin Schrodinger was visiting colleagues in Switzerland and was asked to present a summary of De Broglie’s work. Having studied De Broglie’s thesis in some detail he became an enthusiastic supporter. During the Christmas and New Year of 1925/1926, Schrodinger holidayed in the Alps with his mistress. On his return, he had a functioning wave equation worked out.