You may have learned that the speed of light is the speed limit for the universe: nothing (no-thing) can travel faster than the speed of light. However, consider how fast a DeBroglie wave moves. To do this use the following bits of physics:
- Einstein shows us that the total energy of a particle of mass m, moving with some velocity "v" is given by the expression:
(just ee = em -c squared!) - Einstein also modified momentum to be:
Now use what you know about both the energy of a wave and how momentum relates to wavelength to develop an expression for the speed of a DeBroglie wave. How does this compare to the speed of light? (Hint: use the wave speed formula for all waves.)
What does this suggest to you about the "reality" of DeBroglie waves?