Davisson-Germer Experiment
A 1927 physics experiment that experimentally confirmed De Broglie's matter wave hypothesis by demonstrating electron diffraction from a nickel crystal.
Governing formula
n λ = 2 d sin θ = h / p
SI unit
nm (Wavelength)
In depth
Clinton Davisson and Lester Germer fired slow-moving electrons at a crystalline nickel target. The angular intensity distribution of scattered electrons exhibited clear diffraction peaks matching Bragg's law for De Broglie wavelength λ = h / p.
Examples in the real world
First direct experimental proof of wave-particle duality for massive matter particles, earning the 1937 Nobel Prize in Physics.