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Alfred Cann
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Why do the silver atoms not exist in a superposition of states with every possible mixture of spin-up and spin-down? Thermal photons do.
Alfred Cann said:What is the spin analyzer, the non-uniform magnetic field? How does that force a selection into eigenstates? If an atom has, for example, zero net spin because of superposition, wouldn't it go straight?
How so? The difference between the two cases is that either the photon goes through or it doesn't. We could produce the same effect with the S-G machine just by blocking one or the other paths out so that we can describe the situation as "either the atom gets through or not". You can't get 60% of a photon, but you also (even more forcefully) can't get 60% of an atom.Alfred Cann said:The photon case is easier to understand; a photon either gets thru a polarizer or not
The lack of smear in the Stern-Gerlach experiment is due to the quantum nature of particles. In classical physics, particles are expected to take on a continuous range of values for their properties, such as spin. However, in quantum mechanics, particles have discrete values for their properties, resulting in no smear in the experiment.
No, the lack of smear in the Stern-Gerlach experiment cannot be explained by classical physics. Classical physics predicts that particles should have a continuous range of values for their properties, while the experiment shows that particles have discrete values. This is a fundamental difference between classical and quantum mechanics.
The Stern-Gerlach experiment demonstrates the quantization of spin by showing that particles have discrete values for their spin when passing through a magnetic field gradient. This is observed as distinct bands in the experiment, instead of a continuous spread of values as predicted by classical physics.
The Stern-Gerlach experiment is important in quantum mechanics because it provides evidence for the quantization of spin and the discrete nature of particles. It also played a crucial role in the development of quantum mechanics, leading to the understanding of the wave-particle duality of matter and the formulation of the Schrödinger equation.
No, the Stern-Gerlach experiment is limited to measuring the spin of particles that have a magnetic moment, such as electrons and protons. Particles without a magnetic moment, such as photons, cannot be measured using this experiment.