When high-speed electrons are used in experiments, their behavior can provide support for the wave-particle duality of particles. One of the key experiments that demonstrates this is the double-slit experiment, which can be performed with electrons just as it can be with light.
In the double-slit experiment, a beam of high-speed electrons is directed towards a barrier with two narrow slits. Behind the barrier, a screen or a detector is placed to record the pattern of electron impacts. If electrons behaved solely as particles, one would expect them to pass through one of the slits and form two distinct bands on the screen, corresponding to the two slits.
However, what is observed is an interference pattern, similar to what is observed when light waves pass through two slits. The electrons form an alternating pattern of bright and dark bands on the screen, suggesting that they exhibit wave-like behavior and interfere with each other.
This phenomenon supports the wave-particle duality because it demonstrates that electrons can exhibit wave-like characteristics, such as interference, even though they are individual particles. The interference pattern arises from the constructive and destructive interference of the electron waves passing through the two slits.
Other experiments, such as electron diffraction and electron microscopy, also support the wave-particle duality. Electron diffraction occurs when a beam of electrons passes through a crystalline structure, resulting in a pattern of diffracted electrons on a detector. This diffraction pattern is similar to the diffraction patterns observed with other wave phenomena, such as light passing through a crystal.
Furthermore, electron microscopy relies on the wave-like behavior of electrons to achieve high-resolution imaging. By using the wave nature of electrons, the microscope can achieve better resolution than would be possible with purely particle-like behavior.
These experiments and their results support the wave-particle duality by demonstrating that high-speed electrons, despite being particles, exhibit wave-like behavior in certain experimental setups, such as interference and diffraction patterns.