Light for a long time remained one of the main objects of study. Many scientists sought to know its nature, but it was difficult to do because of limited opportunities. The very first theory to attempt to explain the nature of light was wave theory. For a long time it was considered correct and correct, and there were no prerequisites for the formation of wave-particle duality. At that time, it was believed in physics that light was a wave in nature, and atoms and other small particles had only corpuscular properties.
The theory began to crumble, because it was not possible to explain the structure of the atom. Rutherford, as a result of his experiments, made the assumption that the nucleus of the atom is in the center, the bulk is concentrated there, and the electrons are distributed throughout the volume, freely filling the space. But the theory did not find confirmation, because according to calculations, such a system could not be stable.
Preconditions for the formation of a new theory
Later, the phenomenon of the photoelectric effect was discovered, which went beyond the framework of classical physics, which dominated at that time. Subsequently, it was the photoelectric effect that helped form the wave-particle duality, because this led to the need to create quantum physics. Its feature was that the particles received properties that would be impossible if we considered them in the light of the principles of classical physics. Wave-particle duality was one of the first theories studied in a new section of physics.
The essence of the photoelectric effect was that ordinary substances emit fast electrons under the influence of short-wave radiation. The main discrepancy with classical physics was the fact that the energy of the emitted fast electrons was independent of the radiation intensity. Values were only the properties of the substance itself, as well as the frequency of the radiation. At that time, it was not possible to explain the mechanisms of photoelectron release based on available data.
The wave theory seemed harmonious and undeniable. According to her, the radiation energy was uniformly distributed in the light wave. When it hits an electron, it gives it a certain amount of energy, respectively, according to this theory, the higher the intensity, the greater the energy. However, in reality it turned out somewhat differently.
The development of the idea of dualism
Albert Einstein began to express ideas about the discrete nature of light. Quantum field theory and the concept of quantum fields also began to develop, which helped shape wave-particle duality.
The bottom line is that electromagnetic waves can act on light , therefore, it has the physical properties of a stream of particles - photons. But at the same time, in phenomena such as diffraction and interference, light demonstrates the obvious properties of the wave. A series of experiments were carried out proving the duality of the structure of light. It was on their basis that the particle-wave duality of light was built, i.e. the photon exhibits corpuscular properties, but in a number of experiments it had a clear manifestation of wave properties.
You need to understand that at the moment such ideas are of historical interest only. The wave-particle duality of the properties of matter was formed as a theory at a time when the study of such properties was just beginning, then new branches of physics were actually founded. A similar theory was an attempt to explain new phenomena in the language of classical physics.
In fact, from the point of view of quantum physics, such objects are not particles, at least in the classical sense. They acquire certain properties only when approaching. However, the theory of dualism is still used to explain certain principles of the nature of light.