The Stern-Gerlach experiment: Spin Doctors at Work
The stern-Gerlach experiment aimed at concluding which model better described the structure of an atom; the classical model proposed by Rutherford, or the Bohr model. This experiment is one of the most important in modern history, it brought together the quantum physics up until its creation and solidified quantum theory. This paper analyses the Stern-Gerlach experiment by investigating the physics leading up to its creation, the intentions and expectations of performing the experiment, the conclusion that Stern and Gerlach made, what actually happened, and what has come of the results.
In the early 1900’s much was becoming known about atoms, and theories of their quantum nature was slowly beginning to become accepted among the scientific community. The idea of quantisation had gained a lot of traction due to fundamental experiments that were being developed along with the theory explaining them. In 1887, Heinrich Hertz discovered that the electric discharge between two electrodes was enhanced if the negative electrode was illuminated
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This experiment is known as the Stern-Gerlach experiment. Stern and Gerlach hoped to prove that the quantum theory was correct by showing that the orbital angular momentum of electrons in an atom was spatially quantised (10). The quantum theory stated that an orbiting electron will give rise to a magnetic moment which is proportional to the orbital angular momentum of the electron, so therefore by measuring this magnetic moment; it is possible to prove this idea of space quantisation (10). Sommerfeld’s theory acted as the enabling theory for the experiment, providing an approximate size of the magnetic moment the atoms should experience