Physics of Biology

de Broglie Matter Waves and the Evolution of Consciousness

Authors: John A. Gowan
Comments: 2 pages

In 1923 Louis de Broglie introduced the notion of matter waves, the particle-wave duality of matter which is the reciprocal extension of the notion of the particle-wave duality of light. The wave nature of matter is evidently a "memory" of its origin in light, much as the particle aspect of light suggests its capacity to create matter. Such dualities are part of the connective tissue of the Cosmos and its two principle energy forms, light and matter (free and bound electromagnetic energy). The less massive the particle, the more strongly is its wave nature expressed. The wave nature of the tiny electron is very pronounced, as is famously demonstrated by the interference phenomena of the canonical 2-slit experiment of quantum mechanics. In the extreme case of neutrinos, which apparently have almost no mass, their wave nature completely dominates their particle nature. However, as particles become heavier and more massive, their wave nature becomes rapidly overwhelmed, until for ordinary macroscopic masses to which we are sensible it is completely obscured.
Category: Physics of Biology