In this article I will discuss the phenomenon in physics of the wave-particle duality of light and matter and its philosophical meaning and it's scientific importance. According to the classical laws of physics light behaves like a sine wave that is a periodic mathematical function that depicts the periodic oscillations of the electric and magnetic fields components of the light. Light is a unique phenomenon in nature due to its lack of mass and its speed of c. This speed of light is a limiting value to our traveling speeds in this universe according to the theory of relativity. According to this theory light has a constant speed of c in all inertial systems. So far this observation has not been violated by any physical system in our three dimensional world. However thi s does not rule out that there are no other systems in which speeds higher than c can be observed. Our world is made of three dimensions only and extension to higher dimensions is certainly possible.
Matter on the other hand is a completely different physical phenomenon. Matter in our world is made of atoms that have mass. In addition macroscopic objects usually travel in a speed which is much lower than the speed of light. Also the nature of matter is more complicated than light. For these reasons the duality of these two completely different physical identities is very surprising and astonishing also. There is no real physical connection or relation between the two phenomena. Classically speaking matter was treated according to the classical laws of mechanics by Isaac Newton. These laws can predict the behavior of macroscopic objects with time that are traveling at speeds much lower than c.
The development of quantum mechanics in its initial stages led to the discovery of the dual behavior of light and matter. Initially experiments on the nature of light through diffraction and interference experiments validated the wave theory about light. Later experiments exposed the particle nature of light. This was done mainly through two known experiment. One is called the Compton effect and the other is the photoelectric effect. Both of these experiments exposed the particle face of light.
In a later stage came the assumption of the behavior of matter as wave. This was postulated by a French physicist who's name is Debroglie. This assumption was later confirmed using experiments on electrons diffraction. Debroglie formulated mathematical expressions in the form physical laws that depict this relation between matter and wave. This theory by Debroglie was the basis later for the development in quantum mechanics of the fundamental equation of Schroedinger. This equation governs the quantum mechanical behavior of particles such as electrons and atoms. The mathematical derivation of this equation is also based on the assumption of the duality of matter and wave. Currently this equation is used in all areas of quantum theory that are not under the relativistic domain. Under relativistic domain other equations start to work which are also based on the quantum theory but are derived in a different way than the Schroedinger equation.
In the relativistic domain another duality appears between mass and energy. According to the theory of special relativity matter and energy are equivalent. There is also a physical law that connects energy parameters with mass parameter through a mathematical expression. This unpredictable relation between mass and energy found many applications in physics such as the development of the nuclear energy which relies on the conversion of mass into nuclear energy. Also the development of the atomic bomb was possible due to this relation.
The mass energy duality was discovered after the formulation of the theory of relativity which is a theory in four dimensions, while the wave particle duality was formulated according to classical laws of quantum mechanics in three dimensions. The question then arises if we are going to observe other dualities with the development of new theories in higher dimensions. Based on the this trend it is very likely that this will occur in the future with the development of new theories that are applicable to systems with more dimensions in the form of including more physical parameters in the equations.
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Overview about the Wave-Particle Duality of Light and Matter in Physics
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