A Monte-Carlo Simulation of The Stern-Gerlach Experiment

A Monte-Carlo Simulation of the Stern-Gerlach Experiment
Dr. Ahmet B NGL Gaziantep niversitesi Fizik Mhendisli i Blm Nisan 2008
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Content
Stern-Gerlach Experiment (SGE) Electron spin Monte-Carlo Simulation
You can find the slides of this seminar and computer programs at: http://www1.gantep.edu.tr/~bingul/seminar/spin
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The Stern-Gerlach Experiment
The Stern-Gerlach Experiment (SGE) is performed in 1921, to see if electron has an intrinsic magnetic moment. A beam of hot (neutral) Silver (47Ag) atoms was used. The beam is passed through an inhomogeneous magnetic field along z axis. This field would interact with the magnetic dipole moment of the atom, if any, and deflect it. Finally, the beam strikes a photographic plate to measure, if any, deflection.
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Why Neutral Silver atom?
No Lorentz force (F = qv x B) acts on a neutral atom, since the total charge (q) of the atom is zero. Only the magnetic moment of the atom interacts with the external magnetic field. Electronic configuration: 1s2 2s2 2p6 3s2 3p6 3d10 4s1 4p6 4d10 5s1 So, a neutral Ag atom has zero total orbital momentum. Therefore, if the electron at 5s orbital has a magnetic moment, one can measure it.
Why inhomogenous magnetic Field?

In a homogeneous field, each magnetic moment experience only a torque and no deflecting force. An inhomogeneous field produces a deflecting force on any magnetic moments that are present in the beam.

In the experiment, they saw a deflection on the photographic plate. Since atom has zero total magnetic moment, the magnetic interaction producing the deflection should come from another type of magnetic field. That is to say: electrons (at 5s orbital) acted like a bar magnet. If the electrons were like ordinary magnets with random orientations, they would show a continues distribution of pats. The photographic plate in the SGE would have shown a continues distribution of impact positions. However, in the experiment, it was found that the beam pattern on the photographic plate had split into two distinct parts. Atoms were deflected either up or down by a constant amount, in roughly equal numbers. Apparently, z component of the electrons spin is quantized.
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A plaque at the Frankfurt institute commemorating the experiment
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Electron Spin
1925: S.A Goutsmit and G.E. Uhlenbeck suggested that an electron has an intrinsic angular momentum (i.e. magnetic moment) called its spin. The extra magnetic moment s associated with angular momentum S accounts for the deflection in SGE. Two equally spaced lined observed in SGE shows that electron has two orientations with respect to magnetic field.
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Electron Spin
Orbital motion of electrons, is specified by the quantum number l. Along the magnetic field, l can have 2l+1 discrete values.
L ! l (l 1) J Lz ! ml J
l ! 0,1,2 ,. , n 1
ml ! l ,l 1,. ,(l 1) ,l
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Electron Spin
Similar to orbital angular momentum L, the spin vector S is quantized both in magnitude and direction, and can be specified by spin quantum number s. We have two orientations: 2 = 2s+1
s = 1/2
S!
3 s (s 1) J 1/2(1/2 1) J ! ! J 2
The component Sz along z axis:
S z ! ms J
ms ! 1 / 2 ms ! 1 / 2
(spin up) (spin down)
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Electron Spin
It is found that intrinsic magnetic moment ( s) and angular momentum (S) vectors are proportional to each other:
s
e S ! gs 2m
where gs is called gyromagnetic ratio. For the electron, gs = 2.0023. The properties of electron spin were first explained by Dirac (1928), by combining quantum mechanics with theory of relativity.
Monte-Carlo Simulation
Experimental Set-up:
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Ag atoms and their velocities:
Initial velocity v of each atom is selected randomly from the Maxwell-Boltzman distribution function:
Fmb
m ! 2 NT TkT
3/ 2
mv 2 v 2 exp( ) 2kT
around peak value of the velocity:
v p ! 2kT / m
Note that:
Components of the velocity at (x0, 0, z0) are assumed to be: vy0 = v , and vx0 = vz0 = 0. Temperature of the oven is chosen as T = 2000 K. 25 kg. Mass Mar 2008 of an Ag atom is m=1.8 x 10 SGE
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The Slit:
Initial position (x0, 0, y0), of each atom is seleled randomly from a uniform distribution. That means: the values of x0 and z0 are populated randomly in the range of [Xmax, Zmax], and at that point, each atom has the velocity (0, v, 0).
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The Magnetic Field:
In the simulation, for the field gradient (dB/dz) along z axis, we assumed the following 3-case: uniform magnetic field: xB z / xz ! 0 constant gradient : xBz / xz ! 100 T/m field gradient is modulated by a Gaussian 2 i.e. xBz / xz ! 100 exp(kx ) We also assumed that along beam axis:
xB z / xx ! 0 xB x / xz ! 0 xBx / xx } 0
By ! 0
Equations of motion:
Potential Energy of an electron:
U !
B ! Q sx B x Q sy B y Q sz Bz
Componets of the force:
Fx ! xU ! Q sx xx Fy ! xU ! 0 xy Fz ! xU ! Q sx xz
xB x xB Q sz z } 0 xx xx
(since xB x / xx } 0 and xB z / xx ! 0)
(since B y ! 0)
xB z xB z xB z (since xB z / xz ! 0) ! Q sz Q sz xz xz xz Consequently we have, xB z xB z Fz ! Q sz ! Q s cosU Fy ! 0 Fx } 0 xz xz

Equations of motion:
Differential equations and their solutions:
ax !
d x dt 2
F ! x }0 m Ag
ay !
d2y dt
2
Fy m Ag
!0
az !
d 2z dt 2
x ! x0 v0 x t
since v0x = 0
y ! y0 v y t
since v0y = v and y0 = 0
Q xB / xz Fz ! sz z m Ag m Ag
x ! x0
y ! vt
1 z ! z 0 v0 z t a z t 2 2 since v0z = 0 1 z ! z0 a z t 2 2
So the final positions on the photographic plate in terms of v, L and D:
x ! x0
y ! LD
2a z L 1 L z ! z0 a z D 2 v v
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Here x0 and z0 are the initial positions at y = 0.

Mar 2008
Quantum Effect:
Spin vector components:
S = (Sx, Sy, Sz)

In spherical coordinates:
Sx = |S| sin( ) cos( ) Sy = |S| sin( ) sin( ) Sz = |S| cos( )

where the magnitude of the spin vector is:
3 S ! J 2
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Quantum Effect:
Angle can be selected as:
N ! 2TR
where R is random number in the range (0,1).
However, angle
can be selected as follows:
if Sz is not quantized, cos will have uniform random values:
cosU ! 2 R 1
else if Sz is quantized, cos will have only two random values:
Sz / sJ 2 1 cosU ! ! !s S / 3J 2 3
Geometric assumptions in the simulation: L = 100 cm Xmax = 5 cm and and D = 10 cm Zmax = 0.5 cm
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Physical assumptions in the simulation: N = 10,000 or N = 100,000 Ag atoms are selected. Velocity (v) of the Ag atoms is selected from MaxwellBoltzman distribution function around peak velocity. The temperature of the Ag source is takes as T = 2000 K.
(For the silver atom: Melting point T = 1235 K ; Boiling point 2435 K)
Field gradient along z axis is assumed to be: xB z / xz ! 0 uniform magnetic field

xBz / xz ! 100 T/m xB / xz ! 100 exp( kx 2 ) z constant field gradient along z axis field gradient is modulated by a Gaussian
z component of the spin (Sz) is either quantized according to quantum theory such that cos = 1/sqrt(3)
or cos is not quantized and assumed that it has random orientation.
Results
Hereafter slides, you will see some examples of simulated distributions that are observed on the photographic plate. Each red point represents a single Ag atom. You can find the source codes of the simulation implemented in Fortran 90, ANSI C and ROOT programming languages at:
http://www1.gantep.edu.tr/~bingul/seminar/spin
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Results
N = 10,000
dB/dz = 0 N = 100,000
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Results
N = 10,000
dB/dz = 0 N = 100,000
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Results
N = 10,000
dB/dz = constant > 0 N = 100,000
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Results
N = 10,000
dB/dz = constant > 0 N = 100,000
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Results
N = 10,000
dB/dz = constant * exp(kx2) N = 100,000
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Results
N = 10,000
dB/dz = constant * exp(kx2) N = 100,000
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End of Seminar
Thanks.
April 2008
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A Monte-Carlo Simulation of The Stern-Gerlach Experiment

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A Monte-Carlo Simulation of the Stern-Gerlach Experiment

The Stern-Gerlach Experiment

The Stern-Gerlach Experiment

 Why inhomogenous magnetic Field?

The Stern-Gerlach Experiment

The Stern-Gerlach Experiment

ml ! l ,l  1,. ,(l  1) ,l

The component Sz along z axis:

(spin up) (spin down)

around peak value of the velocity:

Componets of the force:

xB z xB z xB z (since xB z / xz ! 0) ! Q sz  Q sz xz xz xz Consequently we have, xB z xB z Fz ! Q sz ! Q s cosU Fy ! 0 Fx } 0 xz xz

So the final positions on the photographic plate in terms of v, L and D:

Here x0 and z0 are the initial positions at y = 0.

S = (Sx, Sy, Sz)

Sx = |S| sin( ) cos( ) Sy = |S| sin( ) sin( ) Sz = |S| cos( )

can be selected as follows:

 if Sz is not quantized, cos will have uniform random values:

 Field gradient along z axis is assumed to be:  xB z / xz ! 0 uniform magnetic field

dB/dz = constant > 0 N = 100,000

dB/dz = constant > 0 N = 100,000

dB/dz = constant * exp(kx2) N = 100,000

dB/dz = constant * exp(kx2) N = 100,000

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Why inhomogenous magnetic Field?

ml ! l ,l 1,. ,(l 1) ,l

xB z xB z xB z (since xB z / xz ! 0) ! Q sz Q sz xz xz xz Consequently we have, xB z xB z Fz ! Q sz ! Q s cosU Fy ! 0 Fx } 0 xz xz

if Sz is not quantized, cos will have uniform random values:

Field gradient along z axis is assumed to be: xB z / xz ! 0 uniform magnetic field