The Davisson–Germer experiment was conducted from 1923 to 1927 by Clinton Davisson and Lester Germer at Western Electric. Electrons, scattered by the surface of a crystal of nickel metal, displayed a
Davisson and Germer in 1927
American Physical Society plaque in Manhattan commemorates the experiment
Graph of the electrical current vs electron beam azimuth angle from the 1927 "The Scattering of Electrons by a Single Crystal of Nickel" paper. The presence of peaks and troughs is consistent with a diffraction pattern and suggests a wave-like nature of electrons.
Matter waves are a central part of the theory of quantum mechanics, being half of wave–particle duality. At all scales where measurements have been practical, matter exhibits wave-like behavior. For e
Original electron diffraction camera made and used by Nobel laureate G P Thomson and his student Alexander Reid in 1925
Example original electron diffraction photograph from the laboratory of G. P. Thomson, recorded 1925–1927