Stern-Gerlach Experiment: Difference between revisions
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==The Main Idea== | ==The Main Idea== | ||
[[File:Quantum spin and the Stern-Gerlach experiment.ogv|thumb|upright=1.5|Video explaining quantum spin versus classical magnet in the Stern–Gerlach experiment]] | |||
When a beam of silver atoms were sent through the non-uniform magnetic field, Stern and Gerlach expected the atoms to act as magnetic dipoles and, depending on their orientation, to be deflected in a continuous range. However, it was proven that the atoms had a quantum property, spin, that determined the angular momentum of the electrons as either up or down, much like a classically spinning object but only for certain values(specifically spin +ħ/2 or spin −ħ/2 where ħ is the reduced [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planck_constant Planck Constant], ''h'' / 2''π'') | When a beam of silver atoms were sent through the non-uniform magnetic field, Stern and Gerlach expected the atoms to act as magnetic dipoles and, depending on their orientation, to be deflected in a continuous range. However, it was proven that the atoms had a quantum property, spin, that determined the angular momentum of the electrons as either up or down, much like a classically spinning object but only for certain values (specifically spin +ħ/2 or spin −ħ/2 where ħ is the reduced [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Planck_constant Planck Constant], ''h'' / 2''π'') | ||
===A Mathematical Model=== | ===A Mathematical Model=== | ||
Revision as of 15:47, 3 December 2015
A work in progress by Hunter Legerton
In 1922, German physicists Otto Stern and Walther Gerlach sent silver atoms through a non-uniform magnetic field into a detector screen. Based on their understanding of the orientation of magnetic dipoles, Stern and Gerlach expected the atoms to be deflected varying amounts, creating an even range of impacts on the detector screen. However, the atoms were deflected either up or down to two points of accumulation. This experiment, now known as the Stern-Gerlach Experiment, demonstrated angular momentum quantization and the quantum property spin.
The Main Idea
File:Quantum spin and the Stern-Gerlach experiment.ogv When a beam of silver atoms were sent through the non-uniform magnetic field, Stern and Gerlach expected the atoms to act as magnetic dipoles and, depending on their orientation, to be deflected in a continuous range. However, it was proven that the atoms had a quantum property, spin, that determined the angular momentum of the electrons as either up or down, much like a classically spinning object but only for certain values (specifically spin +ħ/2 or spin −ħ/2 where ħ is the reduced Planck Constant, h / 2π)
A Mathematical Model
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A Computational Model
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