1900: A physics genius wandering around Europe

Chapter 518: Shocking doctoral dissertation! No one dares to review it! Ask Bruce again!

When de Broglie completed the theory of matter waves, his brother Maurice walked in.

"Brother, I have some news. I don't know if it's good or bad, but I need to tell you."

De Broglie felt a little strange and asked:
"what news?"

Morris said:
"Professor Lang Zhiwan has just been elected as a member of the French Academy of Sciences."

"He won't be spending much time at the University of Paris next."

"So I have less time to guide you PhD students."

"He told me that if you need it, he can entrust other professors to guide you."

Upon hearing this, de Broglie immediately understood Lang Zhiwan's intention.

As he was tidying up his desk, he smiled and said to Morris:

“That’s certainly good news.”

"The professor deserves his admission to the Academy of Sciences."

"But I don't need his guidance anymore."

“Because I have completed my doctoral dissertation.”

De Broglie did not want to publish the matter wave theory in an academic journal first, but instead wrote it directly as a doctoral thesis.

Because he took too long to study for his PhD.

He wanted to quickly get rid of his student status and truly get into the research of physics.

Wow!
Moseley was shocked.

It's only been half a year, and I've changed so much?

Suddenly, he thought of a possibility.

"Um, little brother, you are not really researching the direction that Professor Bruce mentioned, are you?"

Oh my god!
Morris groaned in his heart:

You can graduate just by studying some regular topics.

As a result, we have to study the wave-particle duality.

Electrons are waves?

If this is included in the doctoral thesis, can it pass the defense?
De Broglie smiled slightly and chose not to answer.

His realm was no longer something his brother Maurice could understand.

The other party should just focus on studying X-rays.

Over the next ten days, de Broglie systematically organized the matter wave theory and added more theoretical derivations.

Finally, a doctoral thesis of more than 100 pages was completed.

The title is "Studies in Quantum Theory".

De Broglie believed that his matter wave theory was of great significance to the newly born quantum mechanics.

It unifies all microscopic particles such as photons and electrons.

Existing matrix mechanics may be able to handle wave properties in the future.

There is a rumor about de Broglie in later generations.

It is said that he won the Nobel Prize in Physics with just a one-page doctoral thesis.

This is obviously impossible.

That one-page paper was just an academic brief he published to explain his core ideas.

The original French version of de Broglie's doctoral thesis is more than 100 pages long, and the English translation is more than 80 pages long.

It is filled with various mathematical formulas and derivations.

Therefore, de Broglie was not just lucky to win the Nobel Prize just for an idea.

Behind this amazing idea is a rigorous and detailed proof process.

This is the difference between amateur scientists and real scientists!

The development of physics has long passed the era when a single sentence or an unproven formula could overturn something.

You think you have subverted yourself, but in fact you just know too little.

1923 3 Month 10 Day.

De Broglie finally entered the University of Paris again with his thesis.

As soon as he entered the laboratory, he caused a burst of exclamations.

"Oh my god!"

"Brother de Broglie is here!"

Everyone rushed forward to ask about his well-being.

At 31 years old this year, de Broglie can indeed be considered an older doctor.

At least among the many graduate students under Lang Zhiwan, he is the absolute big brother.

Moreover, he was a kind person, without the arrogance of an aristocrat.

Therefore, everyone in the laboratory loves him very much.

Everyone secretly envied the elegance of Senior Brother de Broglie.

For a big shot like him, not coming to school for half a year is no big deal.

After all, even if they graduate with a doctorate, they cannot reach the starting point when de Broglie was born.

Life is so cruel
De Broglie smiled and said:

"I brought some candy for everyone, please help yourself."

The crowd cheered.

Someone asked curiously:
"Brother de Broglie, are you here to see Professor Lang Zhiwan today?"

"He has been at the Academy of Sciences these days and has not come to the laboratory."

De Broglie said:

"It's ok."

“I’m here today to submit my doctoral thesis.”

He knew that Professor Lang Zhiwan did not have time in the near future, so he simply submitted the paper first and started the review process.

I will explain it to my instructor when the time comes.

Anyway, Lang Zhiwan is very clear about his research direction, so this won’t be too abrupt.

As for whether the content of the paper was abrupt, De Broglie smiled knowingly.

“I wonder if the professors in the school have that much courage.”

Everyone was shocked when they heard this!
Is the famous senior brother de Broglie finally going to graduate?

Many people only know that the topics studied by de Broglie are extremely difficult.

But no one knows what the specific content is.

However, this did not stop everyone from congratulating him.

Then, de Broglie said goodbye to everyone and went to submit the paper alone.
-
University of Paris, Office of the Doctor of Science Degree Evaluation Committee.

Several physicists, led by Perrin, formed the jury.

They are responsible for the evaluation of doctoral dissertations in the fields of physical and chemical sciences at the University of Paris.

Lang Zhiwan was previously a member of the jury, but he was transferred to the Academy of Sciences for another important task.

The education system in France is quite different from that in the UK.

The government has very strong control over education.

The independence of individual universities and academies of science is not as high as that of institutions such as Cambridge University and the Royal Society.

Therefore, Lang Zhiwan needs to consider the government's administrative arrangements for him.

On this day, Perrin, as usual, took out a fixed time to come to the office after finishing his daily work.

He will review several recently submitted doctoral dissertations with his colleagues.

Everyone watched and chatted.

Perrin sighed and said with emotion:
"Since the death of professors such as Becquerel, Curie and Lippmann, the decline of the French physics community has been visible to the naked eye."

"Today, the younger generation is not as strong as Britain and Germany."

"Look at these papers. They are not innovative at all and just go over and over again on some minor details."

"If this continues, I'm afraid there will be no French voices in the physics community anymore."

Heisenberg's matrix mechanics made Perrin feel the horror of top geniuses.

That is truly original research in physics.

Although the other party has already graduated with a doctorate, he is only in his early 20s.

Most people at this age haven’t even graduated from college.

Now, the level of the papers he reviewed is so far behind Heisenberg's that it is simply immeasurable.

It's totally not something from the same dimension.

So, admiration is very disappointing.

How could the scientific glory of France fade so quickly?

It has been too long since a genius who shines brightly in the sky was born.

Fabbri on the side laughed and said:
"Professor Perrin, this is wrong."

"There are still talented people like Irene among the younger generation in France."

Fabry's research field is optics.

His most important achievement was the discovery of the ozone layer in the Earth's atmosphere that can filter ultraviolet rays in 1913 using the optical interferometer he invented.

In real history, when the Chinese physicist Yan Jici was studying in France, his mentor was Fabry.

Therefore, Yan Jici later became the founder of Chinese optical research.

Upon hearing this, Perrin smiled and said:
"Luckily, Marie Curie gave birth to a good daughter."

"I didn't expect that the French physics community would have to rely on women to support it."

Although Irena's current academic achievements are not enough to make her famous in the physics community.

However, being a woman still has certain blessing effects.

But what Perrin really wanted to wait for was a peerless genius like Pauli or Heisenberg.

Soon, there was only one person's paper left for review.

After seeing the question, Perrin couldn't help laughing:
"Ouch!"

“This topic is very bold.”

“I just don’t know what the content is.”

"Don't do something flashy again."

Then he saw the author's name: Louis Victor de Broglie.

Suddenly, there was a cry of surprise in the room.

"My goodness, has our future Duke submitted his doctoral thesis?"

Everyone found it very novel.

When de Broglie chose to pursue his doctorate under Professor Langevin, it caused a sensation in the Department of Physics at the University of Paris.

Although his elder brother Maurice was already a duke when he was studying for his doctorate.

But Morris had limited talent and mediocre academic achievements, so naturally there was not much topic for discussion.

But de Broglie was different.

He is a genius recognized by many people.

Especially since he switched from history major to physics major, this legendary experience added a touch of mystery to him.

The most important thing is that it is said that de Broglie was once looked at differently by Professor Bruce.

This is incredible!

All the geniuses praised by Professor Bruce are now well-known figures in the academic world.

Professor Bruce's words are more valuable than a golden sign.

However, fate often plays tricks on us.

De Broglie, who is the apple of everyone's eye, has been studying for his doctorate for four or five years.

So far, I have not achieved anything special, just published a few trivial papers.

This makes many people feel a little regretful.

Perrin, Fabbri and others instantly became interested, with smiles on their faces.

They want to see what the future Duke is like.

However, no one had high expectations.

De Broglie's brother, Duke Maurice, has been studying X-rays for more than ten years, but has so far achieved nothing.

I'm afraid there won't be any major changes in my younger brother.

However, as they read the paper, the smiles on their faces gradually disappeared, replaced by endless shock!

"Matter wave theory!"

“Electrons are waves!”

"Electron wavelength equation: [λ=h/p]!"

“Everything is in motion!”

"All matter in the world has the dual nature of wave and particle!"

hiss!
There was a sound of people sucking in their breath in shock in the room.

Everyone was extremely shocked!

The shocking ideas in the paper made their brains crash.

"This is too bold!"

Fabry's eyes widened as he stared at the paper in disbelief.

In fact, he simply couldn't understand de Broglie's derivation process in his paper.

The various knowledge used in it has exceeded his horizon.

But one part took his breath away.

That is, de Broglie made a detailed comparison between geometric optics and classical mechanics. The various behaviors of light and the behaviors of particles are highly similar.

This indirectly verifies the hypothesis that particles have wave properties.

“What a brilliant idea!”

Fabbri couldn't help but exclaim.

He quickly looked at Perrin and found that the latter was still in shock, with his hands trembling slightly.

At this moment, a huge wave seemed to be rising in Perrin's heart.

The paper made his soul tremble.

This conclusion is really too outrageous!
"The real existence of matter is actually a wave?"

Although there was a part of the content that Perrin couldn't understand.

However, this wild idea conquered him.

This is academic innovation!

Moreover, the deductions in the paper are well-reasoned, perfectly combining the wave-particle duality of light and the theory of relativity.

For a moment, Perrin was stunned.

He didn't know how to evaluate this doctoral thesis.

Not only him, all the professors on the jury were silent.

This has never happened before.

Faced with such a shocking paper, they didn't know what to do.

Although the argumentation process of the paper seems rigorous and cites various cutting-edge theories.

But this conclusion is really hard to believe!

That sounds like bullshit.

This sense of contradiction torments everyone.

suddenly.

Perrin, Fabbri and others looked at each other and saw shock in each other's eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, Fabbri spoke first:

“Should this paper be rejected first?”

As soon as the voice fell, Perrin immediately said:
"No!"

"Don't make a decision so early."

"Although a few of us don't understand it, Professor Lang Zhiwan is one of the few people who understands both relativity and quantum theory."

"De Broglie happened to be his student."

"I think this paper needs to be given to him as soon as possible."

Everyone nodded.

Although Lang Zhiwan is a few years younger than everyone present, his authority is unquestionable.

As Professor Curie's favorite disciple, his academic level in physics is recognized.

Someone asked:

"But Professor Lang Zhiwan is still at the Academy of Sciences. How can we give it to him?"

Perrin said directly:

"This is easy to handle."

"I can just go to him with my paper."

Wow!
Everyone was shocked.

They could feel Professor Perrin's excitement.

At the same time, aren't they excited too?

De Broglie's paper may rewrite the foundation of all physics.

For hundreds of years, the material world that human beings have relied on for survival has turned out to be entirely volatile.

Even based on the formula in the paper, the wavelength of matter can be calculated.

This is even more unbelievable than a fairy tale!

If this paper is really correct, people can’t even imagine what kind of sensation it will cause.

"I'm afraid the French physics community is really going to produce a peerless genius!"
-
Central Paris, south bank of the Seine.

Here is located the French Academy of Sciences, the country’s leading scientific institution.

The French academic system is slightly different from other countries.

Its highest academic institution is called the French Academy, which has five branches:

the Académie française, responsible for the French language;

the French Academy, responsible for literature;
the French Academy of Sciences, responsible for natural sciences;
the French Academy of Fine Arts, responsible for the arts;
French Academy of Humanities, responsible for morality and politics.

Among them, the French Academy of Sciences is the authoritative institution in the field of natural sciences in France.

Its predecessor can be traced back to 1666.

Historically, physics giants such as Huygens and Laplace have served as presidents of the French Academy of Sciences.

At the same time, it is also the largest college among the five colleges that has undergone the most changes.

This reflects the lofty status of science.

Today, Lang Zhiwan is a member of the French Academy of Sciences and one of its youngest members.

He had an ambitious goal to make the French Academy of Sciences comparable to the Royal Society of London one day.

This requires not only vigorous publicity, but also a steady stream of talented young people to replenish the industry.

In this era, young people have infinite creativity.

At this moment, Lang Zhiwan was processing documents in the office.

Suddenly, he saw Perrin walking in with a thick book in his hand.

He felt puzzled, so he smiled and said:

"Professor Perrin, why are you here?"

Upon hearing this, Perrin sat opposite Lang Zhiwan and said excitedly:
“Take a look at this paper.”

After saying that, he handed over the paper in his hand.

Lang Zhiwan was a little confused.

What is this operation?

How can the other party bring the paper here for him to review?

He is no longer a member of the jury.

Logically, you are not qualified to view these papers.

However, out of politeness, he took it.

But when I saw the name, I was shocked.

"ah!"

“Why is it de Broglie’s paper?”

"How come I didn't know he had completed his doctoral dissertation."

"Oh my god, what is going on."

Lang Zhiwan was speechless.

Debroglie is too unreliable.

Before submitting your doctoral thesis, you don’t even let your supervisor take a look at it first.

But after thinking about it, he was relieved.

"Forget it, let's read the paper first."

One minute
Two minutes.
five minutes.
For a full half hour, Lang Zhiwan said nothing.

But the expression on his face changed several times.

From helplessness to surprise, then curiosity, then shock, and finally stunned.

"Oh! God!"

“Did de Broglie really write this paper?”

"Am I dreaming!"

Lang Zhiwan even slapped his face with his hands.

It turned out to be not a dream.

The shock this paper brought to him could not be described in words.

It is really unbelievable and shocking.

He even felt that this was a dying fantasy of an older doctoral student with no hope of graduating.

"How is this possible?"

“Electrons are actually waves?”

“Even everything is fluctuating?”

call!
Lang Zhiwan breathed a sigh of relief.

At this moment, the image of de Broglie in his mind was completely overturned.

It turns out that the other party was not giving up on himself, but was quietly studying such a heaven-defying theory.

The reason why people don't come to the laboratory is very simple, because no one can help them.

Although Lang Zhiwan could understand the paper, if he were honest, he would definitely not be able to give any useful suggestions.

Because his three scientific views do not allow him to accept such unorthodox ideas.

He even doubted how many people would accept this doctoral thesis if it was published.

In real history, after de Broglie's paper was published, only two people accepted his views.

One is Einstein and the other is Schrödinger.

It was not until the wave nature of electrons was confirmed experimentally that physicists gradually accepted this reality.

At this moment, Lang Zhiwan felt a little ashamed.

He did provide less guidance and care for De Broglie.

His doctoral student created such an amazing theory, but as a mentor, he was unable to provide any help.

I have to say, this is a pity.

He now understood why Professor Perrin had come to see him specifically.

Because the entire jury didn't know what to do with this doctoral thesis.

In particular, de Broglie's identity is very special.

This makes the review of papers even more difficult.

After thinking for a while, Lang Zhiwan made up his mind and said:
"Professor Perrin, I think de Broglie's paper has a huge impact."

"So, we need someone with more authority to take charge."

"I want to send my paper to Professor Bruce and ask him to review it."

"At the same time, I will immediately find de Broglie and discuss the situation with him in detail."

Perrin nodded, thinking that this approach was appropriate.

With Professor Bruce's vision, he can definitely accurately evaluate the value of this paper.

Besides, the other party had just helped Heisenberg establish matrix mechanics.

Maybe it can also help de Broglie improve the theory of matter waves.

For a moment, he was a little envious of de Broglie.

"Just do as you say!"

The matter was urgent and Lang Zhiwan had no time to take care of his work.

He and Perrin immediately returned to the University of Paris.

On the way back, Lang Zhiwan looked excited and said expectantly:
"I hope that de Broglie's paper will be the prelude to the rise of French physics."

The two looked at each other and laughed.

When Li Qiwei received the paper sent by Lang Zhiwan from France, he smiled slightly.

Even if he couldn't understand the paper, he knew what it was about.

"Wave-particle duality!"

“It’s finally coming out!”

Ridgway believes that de Broglie's matter wave theory may be more important than matrix mechanics.

Because it allowed physicists to truly understand the complexity of the nature of the world for the first time.

No one can understand how real matter can have fluctuations?
Since matter is a wave, why can't people walk through walls?
This is the explanation that quantum mechanics needs to give.

It can be said that all subsequent developments in quantum theory were caused by the wave-particle duality.

Therefore, in real history, when Einstein saw de Broglie’s paper, he exclaimed:

"This young man's paper has lifted a corner of a big curtain."

And now, it is Li Qiwei's turn to give such an evaluation.

In his reply to Lang Zhiwan, he wrote:

“This paper is the first ray of light on one of the biggest problems in physics.”

"I agree with the views expressed therein, the review has been passed, and it is recommended that it be published publicly."

When Lang Zhiwan received Li Qiwei's evaluation, he had already learned the whole story through de Broglie.

It turns out that the inspiration for matter wave theory also came from Professor Bruce.

His heart was shocked to the extreme.

However, Lang Zhiwan still exclaimed:
"De Broglie, you did not stick to Professor Bruce's ideas, but went a step further."

"This is an honor you deserve!"

Then he suddenly said:
"I'm just a little worried."

“How many people in the physics community will accept your theory?”

(End of this chapter)