Quantum Mechanics : concepts and initial developments

Abstract

The nature of light is the starting point of an academic discussion that resulted in the development of quantum mechanics: would light be a physical entity that has a wave or particle character? Systematic studies of the properties of light could be explained sometimes considering light as a wave and sometimes as a particle. This duality was used to explain the nature of any material body. The consequence was the need to develop mechanical laws that would reconcile the wave and particle character for any physical system. This article discusses the most important aspects associated with some of the evidence for the wave-particle character of light and the initial formulation developed by Schrödinger.