Louis de Broglie was a prominent French scientist who predicted the wave nature of electrons and proposed that all matter possesses wave qualities. This concept is at the heart of quantum mechanics, and de Broglie was awarded the 1929 Nobel Prize in Physics for his seminal contribution to quantum theory. Broglie and his brother, born into an aristocratic family, broke the family tradition of serving as diplomats by pursuing science. Broglie’s original passion was for history, but he was soon seduced by the mystique of science and began his excursion into the field. While conducting research for his Ph.D. thesis, he discovered the wave nature of electrons, so established a new branch of physics called wave mechanics. Throughout his career, he held significant academic positions, including Chair 1 of the Académie française and Permanent Secretary of the French Academy of Sciences. He made a significant contribution to worldwide scientific cooperation. Throughout his life, de Broglie was honored by eminent institutions and bestowed with valuable honors.
Childhood & Adolescence
Louis de Broglie was born in Dieppe, Siene-Maritime on August 15, 1892 to Victor, 5th Duc de Broglie and Pauline d’Armaille. He had an elder brother, Maurice, who became a physicist as well.
De Broglie received his preliminary education from Sailly’s Lycee Janson. Initially pursuing a career in the humanities, he devoted himself to literary studies, eventually earning a degree in history in 1910. He was, however, quickly drawn to science, to the point where he earned a degree in physics in 1913.
Louis Broglie’s Career
He was conscripted into the military in 1914, with the outbreak of World War I, and offered his services in the development of radio communications. He was assigned to the Eiffel Tower, where he spent a significant amount of time studying the technical aspects of physics.
He resumed his study of general physics following World War I. He began working in his laboratory alongside his brother, Maurice. Maurice’s research encompassed the use of X-Rays, and it was during this time that de Broglie developed the concept of wave-particle duality.
In 1924, he defended his thesis, Recherches sur la théorie des quanta (Research on the Theory of Quanta), at Paris University’s Faculty of Sciences. He introduced his breakthrough idea of electron waves through it. He was conferred with a doctorate.
His thesis contained a number of significant discoveries that altered how people saw physical phenomena on an atomic scale. Today commonly referred to as the de Broglie hypothesis, he argued that any moving particle or object is connected with a wave. By doing so, Einstein established a new branch of physics called wave mechanics, which unifies the physics of energy and matter.
Einstein endorsed De Broglie’s concept, while Davisson and Germer’s electron diffraction tests demonstrated that electrons exhibit wave-like properties in 1927.
Following the completion of his doctorate, he accepted a teaching job at the Sorbonne, which he held for two years. Throughout this time period, he continued to publish unique work.
He was appointed professor of theoretical physics at the then-new Henri Poincare Institute in Paris in 1928. He held the role until 1962 when he retired.
He was elected to the Académie des sciences in 1933 and has served as its permanent secretary for mathematical science since 1942. He was offered membership in Le Conseil de l’Union Catholique des Sciences Françaises but declined due to his atheist convictions.
He was elected to the Académie française in October 1944 and was greeted by his brother Maurice. He was appointed advisor to the French High Commission for Atomic Energy the following year.
Later in his career, he committed himself to the study of wave mechanics’ numerous expansions. He authored twenty-five books and countless notes and papers on the subject. Along with his scientific work, he wrote about science philosophy, especially the importance of modern scientific findings.
David Bohm developed De Broglie’s theory of wave mechanics in the 1950s, and it became known as the De Broglie–Bohm theory.
Later in life, he founded the Henri Poincaré Institute’s center for applied mechanics, where he conducted research in optics, cybernetics, and atomic energy. Additionally, he was instrumental in the establishment of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science, which he joined as an early member.
His Significant Works
Broglie pioneered the innovative hypothesis of electron waves, which served as the foundation for his doctoral dissertation. He worked on the wave-particle duality theory of matter, based on the work of Max Planck and Albert Einstein, and came up with the concept that every moving item or particle has an accompanying wave.
His theory resulted in the establishment of a new branch of physics known as wave mechanics. The hypothesis gained widespread acceptance after Davisson and Germer demonstrated that matter possessed wave-like properties.
Awards and Accomplishments
He won the 1929 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on the theory of electron waves. His ground-breaking hypothesis resulted in the establishment of a new area of wave mechanics in physics. The Academie des Sciences bestowed upon him the inaugural Henri Poincare Medal the following year.
He was awarded the Albert I of Monaco Prize in 1932.
He was awarded the Max Planck Medal in 1938. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences the following year.
He was elected a Fellow of the Academie Francaise in 1944 and a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1953.
UNESCO bestowed the inaugural Kalinga Prize on him in 1952 for popularizing scientific knowledge among the general public.
In 1956, he was awarded the French National Scientific Research Center’s, Gold Medal.
He was named a Knight of the Grand Cross of the French Legion d’honneur in 1961 and is a Belgian Officer of the Order of Leopold.
He has been awarded honorary doctorates by a number of famous and established universities worldwide, including the Universities of Warsaw, Bucharest, Athens, Lausanne, Quebec, and Brussels. He is also a member of eighteen international academies located in Europe, India, and the United States.
Personal History and Legacies
Broglie led an entirely bachelor’s life.
In 1960, following his older brother Maurice’s death, he succeeded as the 7th Duc de Broglie, as Maurice had no successor.
On March 19, 1987, in Louveciennes, France, he exhaled his final breath. He was 94 years old when he died. He was replaced as Duke by a distant relative, Victor-François, 8th duc de Broglie, following his death.
Estimated Net worth
Unknown.