MadSci Network: Physics |
This is a great question! First, as you note, sound waves cannot pass through a vacuum as they are excitations of matter-- be it air, water, or something solid, a sound is a wave of particles that push on their neighbors and carrying along a vibration of a frequency that we can hear. Light, as you also correctly note, also does not require a medium; photons are the carriers of electromagnetic waves and work perfectly well in a vacuum or elsewhere. In the first case, we're moving some matter around to get sound. In the second case, the particle itself-- the photon-- is what is moving at a certain frequency. That's why it doesn't require a medium. Matter waves are like photons-- the particles themselves have the wavelengths that interfere to produce the patterns we call diffraction, etc. So in answer to your question, no, matter waves do not require a medium through which to move.
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