What Medium Do De Broglie Waves Propagate Through?

[unchained1978]

In the same sense that sound waves propagate through air, water waves through water, light through spacetime, what medium does the de broglie wave propagate through? Also, how could one detect such a disturbance in this medium without measuring the particle itself? (i.e. you can see the wake of a ship without actually seeing the ship, you can see a beam of light from a laser without looking at the source.. etc.)

 

[ckutlu]

I am not sure whether i understood your question well or not but i am not a pro either, so.
De Broglie wave is the same as a light wave when you take the light as a system of photons traveling through spacetime. The only difference is that photons has no mass.

Correct me if i am wrong but the "proof" for a wave can be stated according to the following premise: "If you have a diffraction pattern, then there is a wave associated with it." So you can prove yourself that the light is a wave(also a particle though), looking at the single/multiple slit diffraction patterns. You can use the same method for electrons (since they have mass and particle-waves which we call de broglie waves). You can google "electron diffraction" for details. The idea is no different from the diffraction of photons. A bunch of electrons are guided through a sample (a well prepared lattice usually) in a vacuum tube then they crash to the phosphorous screen transferring their energy to the phosphorous material and letting it to emit photons (in other words "shine"). Thus we see a diffraction pattern of electrons without directly looking at them.

Excuse me if this wasn't the answer you are looking for. Any corrections would be appreciated as well.

 

[unchained1978]

So does that mean this matter wave propagates through Spacetime just as light does? Or does that imply that there is an unseen or unobservable medium that it "waves" through?

 

[ckutlu]

I think that it does not propagate through a medium in the way we think of it. The wave function of the particle is used to indicate the probabilities of the particle being in a given position throughout the space and time, not necessarily in a matter. But then i should repeat again, i don't have any valuable knowledge of the subject, just telling my opinions.

 

[granpa]

this may or may not help:

http://www.thescienceforum.com/viewtopic.php?p=292296