I apologize for the confusion in my previous response. The Michelson-Morley experiment is actually unrelated to demonstrating the wave nature of light. It was conducted in the late 19th century in an attempt to detect the presence of an "ether," which was a hypothetical medium believed to be responsible for propagating light waves.
To demonstrate the wave nature of light, a different experiment known as the double-slit experiment is often cited. The double-slit experiment provides strong evidence that light exhibits wave-like properties. Here's a brief explanation of the experiment:
Setup: A beam of light is directed toward a barrier with two closely spaced slits. Behind the barrier, there is a screen that can detect the light.
Observation: When the light passes through the slits, it diffracts, or spreads out, into a pattern of alternating bright and dark regions on the screen. This pattern is known as an interference pattern.
Interference: The interference pattern arises because the light passing through the two slits acts as a wave and undergoes interference. When the peaks of the waves from both slits align, they reinforce each other, creating bright regions (constructive interference). When the peaks and troughs align, they cancel each other out, creating dark regions (destructive interference).
Particle-like Behavior: Interestingly, even when the intensity of the light is reduced so that only one photon is passing through the apparatus at a time, the interference pattern still gradually emerges over time. This indicates that individual photons are behaving like waves and interfering with themselves.
The double-slit experiment, along with other experiments and observations, led to the development of the wave-particle duality concept. According to this concept, particles like photons can exhibit both wave-like and particle-like properties, depending on the experimental setup and the way they are observed.
In conclusion, the Michelson-Morley experiment was not directly related to establishing the wave nature of light. However, the double-slit experiment, among others, provides strong evidence for the wave-like behavior of light.