3 – A wave model for quantum objects
Quantum objects are described by a wave model that explains observed quantum effects, including interference experiments with electrons.
An electron microscope “sees” by utilising the wave properties of the electron
The image below is created by an electron microscope and shows what we use for seeing, namely rods and cones in the eye’s retina. A regular light microscope lets us see tiny objects, but it has its limitations. These limitations are related to the wavelength of the light. The best resolution we can obtain is approximately half of the wavelength. This means that we can see down to around 200 nm with light microscopes. We can get a much better resolution when we instead utilise the wave properties of particles and “see” with particles. The wavelength of electrons can be 100 000 times shorter than that of light. With electrons we can see down to approximately 50 pm (5,0 · 10-14 m).
