Reborn and become a Great Scientist

Chapter 107 55 Unexpected Images

A few days later, the electron diffraction tube, which had been re-blown and strengthened in some fragile parts, was sent back to the laboratory again.

Chen Muwu and de Broglie carefully put all kinds of equipment into the diffraction tube, took good sealing measures, and connected the vacuum pump.

After the machine was up and running, it fell into a waiting process of up to four or five hours.

Of course, this time the experiment was carried out in an orderly manner, without any surprises.

After a long waiting time, the vacuum degree in the entire system has finally dropped to a sufficiently low value.

Chen Muwu adjusted the preheated electron gun to the preset position, then activated the accelerating electrode, and then removed the aluminum plate in front of the photosensitive film, allowing the collimated, accelerated and diffracted electrons to shoot toward the On the photographic negatives that have been prepared long ago.

Immediately afterwards, the power supply of the electron gun was cut off, and then the instrument was disassembled to take out the film, and sent to the darkroom, where the film was developed with a developer.

Several hours of preparatory work, just to take such a photo negative.

Of course, as long as he can show the result he wants on the negative, the time spent will be well worth it.

However, before entering the dark room, Chen Muwu was full of ambitions, but after he walked out of the dark room, he doubted life much.

The pattern shown on the negative was completely different from what he had expected.

The light and dark concentric rings did not appear, but a solid circle with uniform distribution of items appeared, and the color was darker only at a certain position, which was the incident angle of the electron beam, because some electrons did not interact with the gold element film. Instead of diffracting, it went right through the gold foil.

If Chen Muwu didn't know the results that should appear in the experiment, then he could only announce that the experiment failed and his theory was wrong.

But just because he knew the experimental results, he fell into deep self-doubt when faced with the diffraction pattern that did not reveal his real body.

It can't be because I have traveled to a world with physical rules and laws that is completely different from my previous life!

De Broglie is very optimistic. If satisfactory results can be obtained with only one experiment, then physics should be a very easy subject.

Unwilling to give up, Chen Muwu decided to try again. He replaced the instrument with a new photographic film, and then waited for several hours.

Unfortunately, the result this time is still the same, another black solid circle.

The two experiments have already taken two people a whole day.

By the end of the second time, it had already passed the six o'clock closing time stipulated by the Cavendish Laboratory.

But because their experiment could not be interrupted once it started, no one urged them to call it a day and go home.

Chen Muwu returned to Mrs. Brown's house very depressed, and he carefully checked and calculated the experimental data on paper several times. There should be no problem whether it is the accelerating voltage or the thickness of the gold foil.

But he just couldn't find where the two experiments failed.

Although Dirac is not good at words and has a somewhat withdrawn personality, it doesn't mean that he can't read people's words.

Seeing that his roommate had a rare depression, Dirac knocked on the door of Chen Muwu's room, stepped forward and said, "Chen, what's wrong with you today?"

Chen Muwu welcomed Dirac into the room, and in a hurry, he briefly explained to him the problems encountered in today's experiment, together with his own checking calculation.

He didn't expect Dirac to come up with any solution, but he just held back his grievances and found someone to talk to.

But unexpectedly, after listening to the words, Dirac also frowned, took the piece of paper full of progress, got up and went to the bedside to think.

After a long time, he gave a layman's answer: "Chen, although I don't know whether electrons are a kind of wave, but if it is really a kind of wave, I read your calculation steps and there is no problem with it. Then Now I can’t get the experimental phenomenon you want. I think there may be only two reasons. The first is to prove that electrons are not a kind of wave, and the second is that there is something wrong with your photographic film. "

The first reason Dirac mentioned, Chen Muwu didn't even think about it, so he directly ruled it out.

But photographic negatives?What could go wrong with him?Was it exposed in advance?
Unlikely, because the entire experiment was carried out under dark conditions.

Yup!

Chen Muwu suddenly had a flash of inspiration, as if he had thought of where the problem was.

Because glass is also a medium, the diffracted electrons still have to pass through a layer of glass before hitting the photosensitive material.

Could it be that the thickness of the glass, which he ignored, caused a certain amount of scattering of the electrons, leading to this phenomenon?

The more Chen Muwu thought about it, the more he felt it made sense, and he will try it in the laboratory tomorrow.

This is really what the authorities are obsessed with. Dirac only took a stick of incense to notice what he had never noticed before.

The next day, Chen Muwu found another thinner glass plate and coated it with photosensitive material.

Put it into the diffraction tube and repeat the experiment again. Although the experimental result is still a solid circle, it seems that some traces of diffraction fringes can be vaguely seen.

It seems that this time it should be regarded as the right direction.

Seeing the progress of the experiment, De Broglie couldn't help but praised: "Chen, you are such a genius. After only one night, you can come up with a way to improve."

Being praised by him, Chen Muwu was a little embarrassed: "It's not me, I told Dirac about the difficulties encountered in the experiment after I went back yesterday, and these are all the inspirations he gave."

Although the Frenchman next to him was a little dissatisfied with his roommate, he still wanted to tell the truth.

De Broglie is still prejudiced against this person: "Unexpectedly, telephone poles also have the ability to think about problems."

After chatting for a few words, the two continued to improve the experiment. The thickness of the glass plate became thinner and thinner, and the pattern formed after imaging became more and more like a diffraction pattern.

In fact, if the experiment reaches this point, it can already prove that electrons are a kind of wave.

But Chen Muwu and De Broglie were still not satisfied, so they simply ordered a thinner glass plate—anyway, this French nobleman has a lot of money, just to be able to capture the clearest electron diffraction pattern to prove the electronic volatility correct.

Finally, it can be regarded as the emperor's will pays off, after more than half a month, they finally succeeded.

Chen Muwu was afraid that the glass plate, as thin as a cicada's wings, would break due to carelessness, so after the diffraction pattern gradually appeared in the developing solution, he did not take the photo to announce the good news, but simply sent his mentor Luther Fu called to the laboratory.

From Chen Muwu's proposal of this theory a few months ago, to Bohr's clamor for the new theory, to the photo in front of him finally showing the same pattern as the X-ray diffracted in the crystal.

This finally convinced Rutherford that the electron is indeed a wave.

The teacher praised Chen Muwu a few words, and then called Chen Muwu out of the laboratory alone. The meaning couldn't be more obvious, and he had something to say with him.

But Chen Muwu felt that it was useless for Rutherford to call him out, because he had such a loud voice, and there should be no difference between being separated by a thin wooden door.

"Director, is there anything else?"

"Well, Chen, do you have a visa to go to France?"

Because when he came to Europe from China, the terminal of the ship was Marseille port, so Chen Muwu had a visa for France and its colonies for a short time.

But now more than a year has passed, and his temporary visa has already expired.

Although he didn't know what Rutherford's sudden question meant, Chen Muwu answered the question honestly and gave a negative answer.

"Anyway, the experimental results have been made, so you should leave the laboratory for a few days and go to the consulates of the two countries in London to complete the visas for these two countries. In April, you will go to Europe with me One trip to the mainland, we go to the Solvay conference."

Why is it the Solvay meeting again?
Chen Muwu asked suspiciously: "Director, why am I going too? Didn't you say that the question of this meeting is about the conductivity of metals? I don't have any ideas about this yet."

"This time they invited you, not for you to read papers or give speeches, but you are so famous recently, Professor Lorenz specially sent an invitation letter to me, and wrote to me saying that the European My peers want to meet you too. I think it wouldn't do you any harm to meet them.

Moreover, you have been in the UK for a year, and you only run around in London and Cambridge, and you haven't been to other places even during holidays.This is not good, isn't Kapitsa saying every day that 'people who can't rest can't work', take this opportunity, let me take you to Europe for vacation. "

In fact, what Rutherford did not say is that the Solvay International Institute of Physical Chemistry from Belgium, the victorious country, as the organizer of the conference, whether it was the third Solvay conference the year before last or the fourth this year, did not Consider inviting any German scientist to participate in the conference, and German physicists can account for half of the current physics world, which has led to a sharp drop in the number of participants.

While talking, Rutherford took out an envelope from the pocket of his suit and handed it to Chen Muwu: "Here, this is your invitation letter. Take it, maybe you need it to apply for a visa."

What a strange reason!

Obviously before the last time, Rutherford asked him if he would go, and if he would, he would bring Chen Muwu over in the name of bringing a graduate student there.

But after more than a month, he got an invitation letter with his name on it.

Is it so powerful to discover a new planet?
But Chen Muwu thought of another thing, that Solvay seems to be Belgian, and the address of the Solvay meeting should also be in Belgium.

"Director, do I still need to apply for a Belgian visa?"

"Chen, there's no need for this. Belgium has no additional visa requirements for foreigners entering from France. Hurry up and don't delay this matter."

Rutherford walked forward for a few steps, then stopped suddenly, turned his head and told him: "By the way, since your diffraction experiment has been successfully done, don't forget to write a newsletter to "Nature" first." , and publish the preliminary results first.”

"Yes, Director."

This is the first time that Rutherford reminded Chen Muwu to do so, probably because this experiment is of great significance in his eyes, and it must not be published by others first.

Regarding the Solvay meeting this time, since people had already sent the invitation letter, Chen Muwu felt that it was a public-funded trip anyway, and he would go once and for all.

He returned to the laboratory, said hello to De Broglie, and said that he was going to London to apply for a visa, so he would leave for a day or two tomorrow.

"You mean, the Solvay meeting?"

The reason why De Broglie shifted his interest from history to physics was because his elder brother attended the first Solvay Conference in 1911 and brought home a lot of conference materials .

When he was young, he gradually became interested in physics because he read those conference materials.

Now I heard that the new Solvay Conference is about to start again, and De Broglie also wants to go to the scene to gain insights in person.

"That's right," Chen Muwu raised the invitation letter with his name written on it in his hand, "It says that it will start on April 4 this year."

De Broglie sighed: "Oh, Chen, I really envy you. To be honest, I want to go too, but no one invites me at all."

"Director Rutherford once told me that he could bring a few graduate students to this meeting. I thought, why don't you write a letter to your teacher Langevin? Maybe he can find a way to take you to Participate."

After the death of Lorenz, Langevin took over the chairmanship of the Solvay meeting and organized two meetings.

And as one of the top physicists in France today, he should have no problem arranging De Broglie to go in.

"Okay, then I'll write a letter to the teacher and give it a try." De Broglie was very happy, "Oh, yes, Chen, I just heard through the door of the laboratory that Sir Rutherford asked you to go to France. Visa? When are you going to leave? I'll send my servant to accompany you, maybe I can help you."

Chen Muwu felt that it might not be necessary, but since the other party insisted on this, it would be disrespectful to evade it.

Chen Muwu took a full set of materials and took the train to the French embassy in London.

He still underestimated the power of the French nobles. The servant of de Broglie just showed his identity, and the visa staff quickly sent the completed visa.

He didn't even check any of Chen Muwu's documents, and he seemed to have forgotten to collect the six shilling fee.

(End of this chapter)