Louis de Broglie

1 9.9

A French scientist who proposed that very small things behave like both particles and waves

proper noun
/luːi də broʊɡli/

: Louis de Broglie

Louis de Broglie proposed that particles have wave-like properties.

Examples

The groundbreaking theory developed by Louis de Broglie changed our understanding of particles at the atomic scale.
Modern quantum mechanics owes much to the early work of Louis de Broglie.
Einstein praised the innovative ideas of Louis de Broglie regarding wave-particle duality.
Did Louis de Broglie win a Nobel Prize in Physics?
The groundbreaking theory developed by Louis de Broglie changed our understanding of particles at the atomic scale.
Modern quantum mechanics owes much to the early work of Louis de Broglie.
Einstein praised the innovative ideas of Louis de Broglie regarding wave-particle duality.

Surface Forms

Louis de Broglie main

Morphology

Louis + de + Broglie

This is a proper name referring to a specific person; knowing the constituent items ('Louis', the French particle 'de', and the surname 'Broglie') does not allow a B1 learner to infer the referent is a French physicist or his theory. Proper nouns are referential rather than compositional and are cross-linguistically unpredictable, so the meaning cannot be derived from the parts.

Etymology

Louis de Broglie was a French scientist who imagined tiny particles, like electrons, behaving like waves, similar to ripples in a pond. That's why his name is linked to the idea of 'wave-particle duality', meaning matter can act as both a wave and a particle.