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The Interference Of Electrons
The subject of this years conference was the interference of electrons. The publishing firm of S. Hirzel was again kind enough to undertake the publication of th6 lectured in book form. It was thought desirable that the lectures should not merely describe experiments concerned solely with the diffraction and in terference of electrons, but should consider in detail how far wave mechanics can contribute to the explanation of the electronic con ductivity of metals. The first four lectures were accordingly given by Rupp, Wierl, Mark, and Mott, the series being concluded with lectures by Grlineisen, Bloch, and Peierls. Rupp deals not 50 much with the diffraction of electrons by crystals as with the special phenomena which are observed with slow electrons. He was thus led to give an account of the discontinuity of potential at the sur face of the diffracting substance this gave rise to an interesting discussion on the structure of the surface field, in which von Laue, Bethe, and Joffe took part. Here, as always, the lecturers subse quently incorporated the results of discussion in their papers. Wierl gives an account of his experiments with free molecules, which, apart from their importance in connexion with the measurement of intramolecular distances, make it necessary just as in the case of X-rays to consider the behaviour of the atomic scattering factor for electrons. What theory has to say on this last problem is dis cussed by Mott in the fourth paper he shows that no contradiction arises and that the properties of the atom form factor are actually reproduced by the theory, for both X-rays and electron beams.