Jacques Robert

In the autumn of 1923, Louis de Broglie, through three notes in the Comptes Rendus de l’Académie des Sciences, demonstrated how it is conceivable to associate a wave with a microscopic particle. These findings would be further explored in his thesis and the related articles and notes. These notes were the foundation for later developments in wave mechanics, notably predicting the possibility of obtaining diffraction or interference patterns with electrons.

The seminar, closely based on Louis de Broglie’s writings, will revisit the content of these works, whose arguments remain highly original and go beyond the simple formula linking wavelength to momentum. It will also present the questions that the wave-particle association raised for its author from the outset.