Fifty years have passed since Louis de Broglie created the theory of matter waves and published his first papers on the subject—inaugurating the era of modern quantum mechanics. De Broglie's undertaking was a very bold one. Unlike Planck's work in the older quantum theory, which had its origin in the measurements of black‐body radiation, and unlike the photon hypothesis of Einstein, where the early experiments on the photoelectric effect offered some corroboration, de Broglie's theory lacked the support of any direct experimental evidence. Had it not been for the intervention of such established figures as Langevin and Einstein, who recognized the importance of what he had accomplished, de Broglie's work probably would have had little immediate effect.

1.
M. Jammer, The Conceptual Development of Quantum Mechanics, McGraw Hill, New York (1966).
2.
F. Hund, Geschichte der Quantentheorie, Bibliographisches Institut, Mannheim (1967).
3.
J.
Gerber
,
Arch. Hist. Exact Sciences
5
,
349
(
1969
).
4.
L.
de Broglie
,
Journal de Physique, Series VI
,
3
,
422
(
1922
).
5.
L.
de Broglie
,
Comptes Rendus
175
,
811
(
1922
).
6.
Archive for the History of Quantum Physics.
7.
L.
de Broglie
,
Comptes Rendus
177
,
507
,
548
(
1923
).
8.
L.
de Broglie
,
Nature
112
,
540
(
1923
).
9.
L. de Broglie, letter of 17 September 1973 to the author.
10.
L.
de Broglie
,
Phil. Mag.
47
,
446
(
1924
).
11.
L. de Broglie, Thèse de doctorat, Masson, Paris (1924);
reprinted 1963;
also
Annales de Physique
3
,
22
(
1925
).
12.
Louis de Broglie—Physicien et Penseur (A. George, ed.), Albin Michel, Paris (1953).
13.
L.
de Broglie
,
Comptes Rendus B
277
,
71
(
1973
).
14.
R.
Kubli
,
Arch. Hist. Exact Sciences
7
,
26
(
1970
).
15.
Reference 6.
16.
Reference 12.
17.
V. V. Raman, P. Forman, in Historical Studies in the Physical Sciences 1 (R. McCormmach, ed.), Univ. of Philadelphia Press (1969), page 291.
18.
M. J. Klein, “Einstein and the Wave–Particle Duality,” in The Natural Philosopher (D. E. Gershenson and D. A. Greenberg, eds.) Xerox College Publishing (1964);
reprinted in The Bobbs‐Merrill Reprint Series in the History of Science.
19.
L. de Broglie, New Perspectives in Physics, Oliver and Boyd, Edinburgh (1962), page 139;
trans. from Nouvelles perspectives en microphysique, Paris (1955).
20.
A.
Einstein
,
Sitzungsber. Preuss. Akad. Wiss., Mathem.‐Naturwiss. Kl.
23
,
3
(
1925
).
21.
E.
Schrödinger
,
Annalen der Physik
79
,
734
(
1926
).
22.
E. Schrödinger, in Briefe zur Wellenmechanik (K. Przimbram, ed.), Springer, Vienna (1963), page 24.
23.
E.
Schrödinger
,
Physikal. Zeitschr.
27
,
95
(
1926
).
24.
E.
Schrödinger
,
Annalen der Physik
79
,
372
(
1926
).
25.
E.
Schrödinger
,
Zeits. Physik
12
,
13
(
1922
).
26.
P. J. W.
Debye
,
D. R.
Corson
,
E. E.
Salpeter
,
S. H.
Bauer
,
Science
145
,
554
(
1964
).
27.
W. Elsasser, letter of 21 August 1973 to the author.
28.
C.
Davisson
,
C. H.
Kunsman
,
Science
54
,
522
(
1921
);
Phys. Rev.
22
,
242
(
1923
).
29.
C. W.
Ramsauer
,
Annalen der Physik
72
,
345
(
1923
).
30.
W.
Elsasser
,
Naturwiss.
13
,
711
(
1925
).
31.
Reference 27.
32.
Reference 27.
33.
M. Born in Albert Einstein—Philosopher and Scientist (P. A. Schilpp, ed.) 1, Harper, New York (1959), page 161;
Nobel Lectures in Physics: 1942–1970, Elsevier, Amsterdam (1964), page 256;
reference 12, page 165;
reference 6;
reference 35.
34.
Reference 11.
35.
Albert Einstein–Max Born Briefwechsel: 1916–1955, Nymphenburger, Munich (1969), page 119;
The Born–Einstein Letters, Walker, New York (1971), page 83.
36.
C.
Davisson
,
L. H.
Germer
,
Phys. Rev.
30
,
705
(
1927
).
37.
K. K.
Darrow
,
Bell System Technical Journal
30
,
786
(
1951
).
38.
C.
Davisson
,
L. H.
Germer
,
Nature
119
,
558
(
1927
).
39.
G. P.
Thomson
,
Am. J. Phys.
29
,
821
(
1961
);
G. P.
Thomson
,
Contemp. Phys.
9
,
1
(
1968
).
40.
G. P.
Thomson
,
Phil. Mag.
50
,
163
(
1925
).
41.
G. P.
Thomson
,
A.
Reid
,
Nature
119
,
890
(
1927
).
42.
G. P.
Thomson
,
A.
Reid
,
Proc. Roy. Soc. (London) A
,
117
,
601
(
1928
).
43.
E. G.
Dymond
,
Nature
118
,
336
(
1926
).
44.
E. G.
Dymond
,
Phys. Rev.
29
,
433
(
1927
).
45.
Electrons et Photons, rapports et discussions du cinquième conseil de physique, Gauthier‐Villars, Paris (1928).
46.
I.
Estermann
,
O.
Stern
,
Zeits. Physik
61
,
95
(
1930
).
47.
F.
Knauer
,
O.
Stern
,
Zeits. Physik
53
,
779
(
1929
).
48.
O.
Stern
,
Naturwiss.
17
,
391
(
1929
).
49.
W.
Elsasser
,
Comptes Rendus
202
,
1029
(
1936
).
50.
H.
von Halban
,
P.
Preiswerk
,
Comptes Rendus
203
,
73
(
1936
).
51.
D. P.
Mitchell
,
P. N.
Powers
,
Phys. Rev.
50
,
486
(
1936
).
52.
G. C.
Wick
,
Physikal. Zeits.
38
,
403
,
689
(
1937
).
53.
See Phys. Rev.
70
,
99
(
1946
).
54.
W. H.
Zinn
,
Phys. Rev.
71
,
752
(
1947
).
55.
E. O.
Wollan
,
C. G.
Shull
,
Phys. Rev.
73
,
830
(
1948
).
56.
M. E.
Haine
,
T.
Mulvey
,
J. Opt. Soc. Am.
42
,
763
(
1952
).
57.
L.
Marton
,
J. A.
Simpson
,
J. A.
Suddeth
,
Phys. Rev.
90
,
490
(
1953
);
L.
Marton
,
J. A.
Simpson
,
J. A.
Suddeth
,
Rev. Sc. Instr.
25
,
1099
(
1954
);
L.
Marton
,
Science
118
,
470
(
1953
).
This content is only available via PDF.
You do not currently have access to this content.