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Quantum mechanical description of Stern-Gerlach experiments

Abstract

The motion of neutral particles with magnetic moments in an inhomogeneous magnetic field is described in a quantum mechanical framework. The validity of the semiclassical approximations which are generally used to describe these phenomena is discussed. Approximate expressions for the evolution operator are derived and compared to the exact calculations. Focusing and spin-flip phenomena are predicted. The reliability of SternGerlach experiments to measure spin projections is assessed in this framework.

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Quantum mechanical description of Stern-Gerlach experiments

Author: Potel Aguilar, Gregory; Barranco, Francisco; Barranco Paulano, Francisco; Cruz Barrios, Sara; Gómez Camacho, Joaquín José
Publisher: American Physical Society
Year: 2005
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevA.71.052106
Source: https://idus.us.es/bitstreams/88e4dd0d-c5c6-416a-92c9-ad238ac70b1a/download
Quan um mechanical desc ip ion o S e n-Ge lach expe imen s
G. Po el,1F. Ba anco,2S. C uz-Ba ios,3,1 and J. Gómez-Camacho1
1Depa amen o de Física A ómica, Molecula y Nuclea , Apa ado Pos al 1065, 41080 Se illa, Spain
2Depa amen o de Física Aplicada 3, E.S.I. Isla de la Ca uja, Se illa, Spain
3Depa amen o de Física Aplicada 1, E.U.P. Vi gen de Á ica, Se illa, Spain
共Recei ed 21 Sep embe 2004; published 27 May 2005兲
The mo ion o neu al pa icles wi h magne ic momen s in an inhomogeneous magne ic ield is desc ibed in
a quan um mechanical amewo k. The alidi y o he semiclassical app oxima ions which a e gene ally used
o desc ibe hese phenomena is discussed. App oxima e exp essions o he e olu ion ope a o a e de i ed and
compa ed o he exac calcula ions. Focusing and spin- lip phenomena a e p edic ed. The eliabili y o S e n-
Ge lach expe imen s o measu e spin p ojec ions is assessed in his amewo k.
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRe A.71.052106 PACS numbe 共s兲: 03.65.Sq, 03.65.Ta, 03.65.Wj, 03.65.Nk
I. INTRODUCTION
The S e n-Ge lach expe imen consis s in aking a beam
o pa icles ha ha e a neu al elec ic cha ge, bu a ini e
magne ic momen , and passing hem h ough an inhomoge-
neous magne ic ield. The obse ed esul is ha he pa icles
de lec di e en ly depending on he spin p ojec ion along he
magne ic ield. So, by measu ing he de lec ion, one can in e
he alue o he spin p ojec ion o he pa icles along he
di ec ion o he magne ic ield. The desc ip ion o his phe-
nomenon is done wi h he ollowing assump ions.
共i兲The spin p ojec ion along he zaxis, aken along he
magne ic ield a he cen e o he beam, is conse ed.
共ii兲Pa icles wi h di e en spin p ojec ions along he z
axis, as hey go h ough he inhomogeneous magne ic ield,
su e a o ce in he zdi ec ion ha is gi en by he p oduc o
he magne ic momen imes he g adien o he ield imes he
spin p ojec ion.
This is wha we will call he ex book desc ip ion o he
S e n-Ge lach expe imen 关1–4兴. Thus, conside ing he pa -
icle posi ion as a poin e and he spin p ojec ion as he quan-
um p ope y o be measu ed, he S e n-Ge lach se up is as-
socia ed wi h a measu emen ope a o on he spin s a e which
has as eigen alues he spin p ojec ions along he zaxis. Un-
de he ex book desc ip ion, he S e n-Ge lach expe imen
co esponds o an “ideal” measu emen , in he sense o on
Neumann 关5兴, because he quan um s a e is no modi ied by
he measu emen p ocess when i is an eigens a e o he mea-
su ing appa a us. Besides, i is “comple ely eliable,” in he
sense discussed in 关6兴, because he posi ion is comple ely
co ela ed wi h he spin p ojec ion.
Howe e , when he expe imen is in es iga ed in mo e
de ail, he si ua ion becomes mo e complica ed. As he mag-
ne ic ield has ze o di e gence, hen i is no possible o ha e
a g adien o he ield only in one di ec ion. This p oduces
e ms in he Hamil onian ha can change he spin o he
inciden pa icle. A de ailed in es iga ion o hese e ec s was
made in a ecen publica ion 关7兴, making use o he concep
o cohe en in e nal s a es 关8兴in a semiclassical app oach. In
his app oach, i is shown ha he quan um mechanical wa e
unc ion which desc ibes he mo ion o a sys em wi h in e -
nal deg ees o eedom can be app oxima ed by a single a-
jec o y only o ce ain in e nal s a es which a e called co-
he en in e nal s a es. These in e nal s a es e ol e in ime
acco ding o an e olu ion ope a o which is de e mined by
he in e ac ion e alua ed along he ajec o y. The cohe en
in e nal s a es, in he case o he S e n-Ge lach expe imen s,
a e s a es wi h de ini e p ojec ion along he di ec ion o he
magne ic ield. This di ec ion may a y depending on he
posi ion o he pa icle, because he magne ic ield is no
homogeneous.
The main esul o 关7兴is ha , indeed, when a beam o
pa icles goes h ough a S e n-Ge lach magne , he di e en
spin p ojec ions de ia e depending on he spin p ojec ion.
Howe e , when he size o he beam is no e y small com-
pa ed o he ange o inhomogenei y o he magne ic ield,
addi ional e ec s occu .
共i兲The e is a ocusing e ec , so ha he pa icles de ia -
ing in he di ec ion in which he ield dec eases end o ocus,
while hose going in he di ec ion o inc easing ield end o
de ocus.
共ii兲The e a e some pa icles wi h a gi en spin p ojec ion
which de ia e as hose wi h a di e en spin p ojec ion. So
he S e n-Ge lach se up is no , e en in heo y, a “comple ely
eliable” measu ing appa a us.
共iii兲The e a e some pa icles, wi h a de ini e spin p ojec-
ion along he quan iza ion axis, which change he spin p o-
jec ion as hey go h ough he magne . So he S e n-Ge lach
se up is no an “ideal” measu emen appa a us, as successi e
measu emen s will no gi e exac ly he same esul s.
This is wha we will call he semiclassical desc ip ion o
he S e n-Ge lach expe imen . No e ha i we associa e he
pa icle posi ion a e he magne as a “poin e ,” which gi es
he esul o he measu emen o he spin p ojec ion along he
zaxis, hen we conclude ha , in he semiclassical desc ip-
ion, he S e n-Ge lach expe imen is no an ideal measu e-
men , because i can al e he spin p ojec ion, o a comple ely
eliable one, because he posi ion is no always co ela ed
wi h he spin p ojec ion.
These conclusions we e ob ained in a semiclassical
amewo k, in which he mo ion o he pa icles was de-
sc ibed by classical ajec o ies which depended in he spin
p ojec ion along he magne ic ield ha hey encoun e ed.
Ou mo i a ion he e is o see whe he he same conclusions
hold when he ull quan um mechanical p oblem is consid-
e ed. In Sec. II we o mula e he ime-dependen quan um
PHYSICAL REVIEW A 71, 052106 共2005兲
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mechanical p oblem o a wa e packe going h ough a S e n-
Ge lach magne and discuss he alidi y o he ex book and
semiclassical app oaches. In Sec. III we p esen he nume i-
cal solu ion o he quan um mechanical p oblem. In Sec. IV
we in es iga e se e al analy ic app oxima ions o he p ob-
lem, conside ing he alidi y o he concep o cohe en in-
e nal s a es. In Sec. V we discuss he in e p e a ion o S e n-
Ge lach expe imen s as measu emen s de ices. Sec. VI is o
a summa y and conclusions.
II. QUANTUM MECHANICAL FORMULATION
We wan o in es iga e he e ec o an inhomogeneous
magne ic ield on he e olu ion o a quan um wa e packe .
The si ua ion ha we will conside is a magne ic ield ha
has componen s in he Xand Zdi ec ions, bu no in he Y
di ec ion. This magne ic ield has a leng h L, and i can be
w i en as
B
ជ
=共B0+B1Z兲u
ជ
z−B1Xu
ជ
x,0艋Y艋L.共1兲
We use he capi al le e s X,Y,Z,T o ep esen magni udes
wi h dimensions. Lowe case x,y,z, co espond o dimen-
sionless quan i ies. We neglec bo de e ec s a ound Y=0 o
Y=L. No e ha his ield ul ills ⵜB
ជ
=0 and also ⵜ⫻B
ជ
=0,as
should be expec ed o a magne ic ield in he egion whe e
he e a e no cu en s. These condi ions we e no ul illed in
he case discussed in ex books such as 关1–3兴.
The Hamil onian which desc ibes a non ela i is ic neu al
pa icle which en e s in his ield is gi en by
H=PX
2+PY
2+PZ
2
2M−
␮
B
ជ
·I
ជ
,共2兲
whe e
␮
is he magne ic momen and I
ជ
is he spin ope a o .
We conside now a wa e packe 兩⌿共T兲;m0典which en e s
in o his ield. Ini ially, he wa e packe can be cha ac e ized
in coo dina e space as a Gaussian which is mo ing in he y
di ec ion, while he ini ial spin p ojec ion along he Zaxis is
m0:
具XYZ,m兩⌿共T=0兲;m0典=Nexp
冉
−X2+Y2+Z2
2
␴
2
冊
⫻exp共ikyY兲
␦
共m,m0兲.共3兲
No e ha , neglec ing he e ec s o he bo de , he Ycompo-
nen o he wa e unc ion is no a ec ed by he in e ac ion.
Bo de e ec s will be ele an when he ansi ime, which
is he ime ha he pa icle akes o go om he si ua ion in
which he ield anishes 共B
ជ
=0兲 o he si ua ion whe e he
ield is s a iona y 共B
ជ
⯝B0u
ជ
z兲, is sho compa ed o he p e-
cession ime o he spin in he magne ic ield. An es ima e o
he ansi ime is =B0/共B1 兲. The p ecession ime is p
=ប/共B0
␮
兲. I can be seen ha , o ealis ic cases, he ansi
ime, al hough sho compa ed o he ime ha he beam
spend wi hin he magne , is always la ge han he p ecession
ime. So he spins o he pa icles o he beam ha e he ime
o adap o he magne ic ield in which hey en e .
The wa e unc ion is gi en by a wa e packe ha can be
ac o ized in o a Ycomponen and an 共X,Z兲componen . The
Ycomponen will e ol e eely inside he magne , because
he Hamil onian does no ha e any in e ac ion e m which
depends on Y, once ha he bo de e ec s 共occu ing a Y
=0 and Y=L兲a e ound o be negligible.
No e ha he wa e packe will s ay wi hin he magne ic
ield du ing a ime
␶
=L/ y, whe e y=បky/M. Assuming ha
he size o he wa e packe
␴
is e y small compa ed o L
and aking in o accoun ha he ansi ime is much
smalle han T, we can conside ha he magne ic ield s a s
a T=0 and inishes a T=
␶
. So we ocus on sol ing he
wo-dimensional ime-dependen p oblem, which co e-
sponds o calcula ing he ime e olu ion be ween he ime
T=0 and T=
␶
in a Hamil onian
H=PX
2+PZ
2
2M−
␮
B
ជ
·I
ជ
,共4兲
conside ing ha he ini ial wa e unc ion is
具XZ;m兩⌽共T=0兲;m0典=Nexp
冉
−X2+Z2
2
␴
2
冊
␦
共m,m0兲.共5兲
I is con enien o make use o dimensionless a iables. So
we de ine x=X/
␴
,z=Z/
␴
, =T/
␶
, and h=H
␶
/ប. Then, he
equa ion o mo ion becomes
h兩⌽共 兲;m0典=id
d 兩⌽共 兲;m0典.共6兲
The dimensionless Hamil onian can be w i en as h=h0+ ,
wi h
h0=A
2共px
2+pz
2兲, =−S关Iz共z+z0兲−Ixx兴,共7兲
whe e px=−id/dx,pz=−id/dz, and he dimensionless pa am-
e e s A,S,z0a e
A=ប
␶
M
␴
2,S=
␮
B1
␶
␴
ប,z0=B0
␴
B1.共8兲
The adiaba ici y pa ame e Ais he a io o he in e ac ion
ime
␶
o he na u al ime o expansion o he Gaussian
packe . The sepa a ion pa ame e Sis he a io o he mo-
men um change induced by he magne ic ield g adien di-
ided by he momen um wid h o he Gaussian packe . The
inhomogenei y pa ame e z0de e mines he ela i e change
o he magne ic ield in he ange o he Gaussian. No e ha
in he posi ion 共x=0,z=−z0兲, he magne ic ield anishes.
No e ha he p oduc AS=
␮
B1
␶
2/M
␴
is independen o ប.
This magni ude is ela ed o he de ia ion o he beam in he
magne . Fo a gi en ajec o y, which is de e mined by a
ixed alue o he p oduc AS, he classical limi is eached
as S→⬁and A→0. No e ha his co esponds o making
ប→0 in Eqs. 共8兲.
Validi y o he semiclassical desc ip ions
We will now discuss he alidi y o he semiclassical and
ex book desc ip ions o he S e n-Ge lach expe imen . I
should be no iced ha , in gene al, a beam o pa icles is no
gi en by a pu e quan um mechanical s a e, bu a he by a
POTEL e al. PHYSICAL REVIEW A 71, 052106 共2005兲
052106-2
mix u e o small quan um wa e packe s. Fo de ini eness, we
conside ha ini ially one has a dis ibu ion o pa icles de-
sc ibed as a Gaussian mix u e, o ange
␴
m, o small Gauss-
ian wa e packe s o ange
␴
. The beam p o ile will hen be
cha ac e ized by a Gaussian o ange
␴
=冑
␴
m
2+
␴
2. The con-
di ions equi ed, in o de o jus i y he semiclassical desc ip-
ion done in 关7兴a e he ollowing.
共a兲The inhomogenei y o he magne ic ield o e he
quan um size o he wa e packe should be small:
␴
B1ⰆB0.
This implies ha z0Ⰷ1.
共b兲The momen um change should be la ge compa ed o
he quan um sp ead o he beam momen um:
␮
B1
␶
Ⰷប/
␴
.
This implies ha SⰇ1.
No e ha hese condi ions a e e y well sa is ied in eal-
is ic si ua ions o S e n-Ge lach expe imen s. Howe e , he
alidi y o he ex book desc ip ion equi es also he a mo e
s ingen condi ion
␴
B1ⰆB0, which equi es a e y s ong
ield B0o , al e na i ely, a e y hin beam.
The pu pose o his wo k is o in es iga e he ull quan-
um solu ion o his p oblem o alues o he pa ame e s z0
and Swhich a e no necessa ily e y la ge, so ha he semi-
classical and ex book desc ip ions become dubious. Ne e -
heless, in o de o ha e a e e ence o compa e he quan um
calcula ion, we ecall he expec ed esul s in he ex book
desc ip ion. The ajec o y o he cen e o he wa e packe
inside he magne is gi en by he exp ession
zm共 兲= 1/2共SA兲m 2,共9兲
which depends on he spin p ojec ion m. No e ha , a e he
in e ac ion 共 =1兲, he posi ions o he cen e o he wa e
packe s o each spin p ojec ion a e gi en by zm共1兲
=SAm/2 and hei eloci ies a e z
˙m共1兲=SAm/2. I , a e he
in e ac ion, he beam e ol es eely du ing a ime d, hen he
posi ions o he cen e o he wa e packe s a e expec ed o be
gi en by
zm共 d兲=共1/2 + d兲共SA兲m.共10兲
As a ypical alue o he d i ime dwe will conside he
ime necessa y o each he posi ion zm=−z0, o he spin
p ojec ion m=−1/2,
d=2z0/共SA兲− 1/2. 共11兲
Thus we would expec ha , a e a d i ime d, pa icles
wi h spin p ojec ion m=1/2 should appea a ound z=z0,x
=0, and pa icles wi h spin p ojec ion m=−1/2 should ap-
pea a ound z=−z0,x=0.
III. NUMERICAL CALCULATIONS
We conside he sca e ing o a spin-1/2 pa icle. We ex-
pand he wa e unc ion in o wo componen s, which ha e
de ini e spin p ojec ions along he zaxis,
具xz;m= 1/2兩⌽共 兲;m0典=
␣
共x,z, 兲ei Sz0/2,
具xz;m= − 1/2兩⌽共 兲;m0典=
␤
共x,z, 兲e−i Sz0/2,共12兲
and he Sch ödinge equa ion o he 共x,z兲plane can be w i -
en as
冤
A
2共px
2+pz
2兲−S
2zS
2x
S
2xA
2共px
2+pz
2兲+S
2z
冥
冋
␣
共x,z, 兲
␤
共x,z, 兲
册
=id
d
冋
␣
共x,z, 兲
␤
共x,z, 兲
册
,共13兲
whe e
␣
共x,z, 兲and
␤
共x,z, 兲a e he componen s o he
spino in he basis o he eigens a es o Iz. The nume ical
solu ion o his equa ion has al eady been pe o med by Ga -
away and S enholm 关9兴. Howe e , hey conside ed he case
in which z0was la ge, so hei nume ical esul co esponded
o he ex book in e p e a ion. A simila p oblem has been
add essed by F anca e al. 关10兴, bu hey made use o he
adiaba ic app oxima ion, neglec ing he kine ic ene gy du -
ing he in e ac ion ime.
To ollow ou app oach we mus i s w i e bo h compo-
nen s o he spino as linea combina ions o ha monic oscil-
la o unc ions, so ha
␣
共x,z, 兲=兺
nm anm共 兲
␾
n共x兲
␾
m共z兲,
FIG. 1. P obabili y dis ibu ion o an unpola ized wa e packe
a e going h ough an inhomogeneous magne ic ield. No e he
ocusing e ec o he lowe componen , which co esponds p e-
dominan ly o m=−1/2. The uppe igu e co esponds o A=0.5,
S=4. The lowe igu e is o A=0.1, S=20, which is close o he
classical limi .
QUANTUM MECHANICAL DESCRIPTION OF STERN-…PHYSICAL REVIEW A 71, 052106 共2005兲
052106-3
␤
共x,z, 兲=兺
nm bnm共 兲
␾
n共x兲
␾
m共z兲,共14兲
whe e
␾
n共x兲and
␾
m共z兲a e he ha monic oscilla o eigen-
s a es o o de nand min he xand zdi ec ions, espec i ely.
To calcula e he ime-dependen coe icien s anm共 兲and
bnm共 兲o he expansion, i is na u al o ew i e Eq. 共13兲in
e ms o he well-known c ea ion and des uc ion ope a o s
ax=1
冑2共x+ipx兲,ax
†=1
冑2共x−ipx兲,
az=1
冑2共z+ipz兲,az
†=1
冑2共z−ipz兲.共15兲
Thus, subs i u ing he ope a o s 共15兲in o Eq. 共13兲, we ob ain
he desi ed sys em o o dina y coupled di e en ial equa ions
o he coe icien s o he expansion o
␣
共x,z, 兲and
␤
共x,z, 兲:
a
˙nm =iA
4关an+2,m冑共n+1兲共n+2兲+an−2,m冑n共n−1兲+an,m+2冑共m+1兲共m+2兲+an,m−2冑m共m−1兲−2anm共n+m+1兲兴
+iS
2冑2关an,m+1冑m+1+an,m−1冑m−共bn+1,m冑n+1+bn−1,m冑n兲e−iSz0 兴,
b
˙nm =iA
4关bn+2,m冑共n+1兲共n+2兲+bn−2,m冑n共n−1兲+bn,m+2冑共m+1兲共m+2兲+bn,m−2冑m共m−1兲−2bnm共n+m+1兲兴
+iS
2冑2关−bn,m+1冑m+1−bn,m−1冑m−共an+1,m冑n+1+an−1,m冑n兲eiSz0 兴,共16兲
whe e he o e do s ands o di e en ia ion wi h espec o
he dimensionless pa ame e . This sys em is sol ed using a
ou h-o de Runge-Ku a me hod. The numbe o ha monic
oscilla o basis unc ions needed in he calcula ion was ypi-
cally o he o de o 40 in each coo dina e.
We ha e pe o med calcula ions using ypical alues o
A=0.5, S=4, and z0=4. This co esponds o a case in which
he magne ic ield anishes a a dis ance o 4
␴
. The ime o
he in e ac ion is such ha he wid h o he beam would
inc ease by a ac o o 冑1+A2. The magne ic ield g adien is
such ha each componen o he magne ic ield will acqui e
a momen um o Sប/2
␴
, in opposi e di ec ions. As a compa i-
son, we ha e also conside ed calcula ions wi h A=0.1, S
=20, and z0=4, which p oduce he same de ia ion o he
beam, bu a e close o he classical limi .
A e he in e ac ion, we conside a d i ime d, gi en by
Eq. 共11兲, du ing which he sys em e ol es in he ee Hamil-
onian, so ha he cen e o he m=±1/2wa e packe would
each he poin z=±z0, acco ding o he ex book desc ip ion.
In Fig. 1 we ep esen he p obabili y dis ibu ion o a
wa e packe , co esponding ini ially o an unpola ized beam.
This is gi en by
P0共x,z兲=1
2兺
mm0
兩具x,z;m兩⌽共 兲;m0典兩2.共17兲
The ocusing e ec can be clea ly seen by compa ing he
shape o he dis ibu ions o he uppe and lowe compo-
nen s, which co espond p edominan ly o m=1/2 and m
=−1/2, espec i ely. The e ec o he ocusing is inc eased
as Adec eases and Sinc eases. So we ha e con i med ha
he ocusing e ec ha was p edic ed in he semiclassical
calcula ion in 关8兴is a genuine esul ha appea s in he quan-
um mechanical calcula ion, al hough i is di used i he
adiaba ici y pa ame e Ahas a sizable alue. I should be
no iced ha his ocusing e ec was also ound in he calcu-
la ions p esen ed in 关9兴.
In con as o he ex book desc ip ion, e en i he ini ial
beam has a de ini e spin p ojec ion along he zaxis, a e he
sca e ing p ocess his spin p ojec ion can change. We ha e
e alua ed he p obabili y ha he pa icles change hei spin
p ojec ion along he zaxis. I should be no iced ha he
p obabili y o going om spin up o spin down is no exac ly
he same as ha o going om spin down o spin up. Fo he
e e ence case 共A=0.5, S=4, z0=4兲, we ob ain ha p共1/2,
−1/2兲=0.0166 and p共−1/2,1/2兲=0.0198.
The spin- lip phenomenon also appea s in he semiclassi-
cal desc ip ion, because no all he pa icles ha compose he
beam see he magne ic ield along he zaxis. The semiclas-
sical spin- lip p obabili y is p共1/2,−1/2兲=p共−1/2,1/2兲
=0.0156, which depends only on he alue o z0. This is in
good quali a i e ag eemen wi h he quan um calcula ions. In
Fig. 2 we ep esen he spa ial dis ibu ion o he spin- lip
p obabili y. No e ha he spin- lip p obabili y anishes o
pa icles coming ou along he zaxis. The spa ial dis ibu ion
o he spin- lip p obabili y is in quali a i e ag eemen wi h
he semiclassical calcula ion, which becomes mo e accu a e
as one makes he limi A→0, S→⬁, wi h AS cons an .
The esul s o ou calcula ions can be summa ized as ol-
lows: When a beam o pa icles, desc ibed by a Gaussian
POTEL e al. PHYSICAL REVIEW A 71, 052106 共2005兲
052106-4
wa e unc ion and wi h a gi en spin p ojec ion along he z
axis, goes h ough an inhomogeneous magne ic ield, mos o
he pa icles sca e as expec ed in he ex book desc ip ion.
Howe e , a sizable ac ion o hem, which depends on z0
共abou 2% o z0=4兲, su e a change o he spin p ojec ion
共spin lip兲. F om hese pa icles ha su e spin lip, abou
hal sca e in he same di ec ion as he majo i y o he pa -
icles and he o he hal sca e in he opposi e di ec ion. We
can conclude ha he spin- lip e ec desc ibed in he semi-
classical desc ip ion, which was no p esen in he ex book
desc ip ion o S e n-Ge lach expe imen s, is suppo ed by
he ull quan um mechanical calcula ions. Also, we con i m
ha he S e n-Ge lach expe imen , when conside ed as a
measu emen appa a us o he spin p ojec ion, is no an ideal
measu emen 共because he e is spin lip兲and i is no ully
eliable 共because he e is no an exac co ela ion be ween
he ini ial spin p ojec ion and he inal posi ion o he pa -
icle兲.
Howe e , he e a e quali a i e ea u es o he ull quan-
um mechanical esul , such as he di e ence be ween up-
down and down-up spin- lip p obabili ies, ha a e no
p esen in he semiclassical desc ip ion and equi e u he
in es iga ion.
IV. APPROXIMATE TREATMENTS
Ha ing sol ed nume ically he p oblem, we will conside
se e al app oxima e ea men s o imp o e ou unde s and-
ing o he phenomena unde conside a ion. The s a ing poin
is he exac e olu ion ope a o and he ee e olu ion ope a-
o
U共 兲= exp关−i共h0+ 兲 兴,U0共 兲= exp共−ih0 兲.共18兲
I should be no iced ha h0and do no commu e. Thus, a
p io i he e is no a single basis o spin s a es whe e he
e olu ion ope a o is diagonal. Ne e heless, i can be a gued
ha he in e ac ion domina es o e he ee Hamil onian h0.
Tha would indica e ha he eigens a es o , which a e
s a es wi h de ini e spin p ojec ion along he magne ic ield
共and hence cohe en in e nal s a es兲, should play an impo -
an ole in he app oxima e solu ion o his p oblem. In his
sec ion we de i e se e al app oxima e exp essions which
make use o expansions o he exac e olu ion ope a o in
e ms o and h0and i s commu a o s.
We can use he coo dina es
␳
=冑共z+z0兲2+x2,
␤
= a c an x
共z+z0兲,共19兲
and e e he spin componen s o he di ec ion o he mag-
ne ic ield a each posi ion:
IB=Izcos共
␤
兲−Ixsin共
␤
兲,IT=Izsin共
␤
兲+Ixcos共
␤
兲.
共20兲
In e ms o hese a iables, he ini ial s a e can be exp essed
as
具
␳
␤
;m兩⌽共 =0兲;m0典
=Nexp
冉
−
␳
2−2
␳
z0cos
␤
+z0
2
2
冊
␦
共m,m0兲
共21兲
and h0and ake he exp essions
h0=A
2共p
␳
2+
␳
−2p
␤
2兲, =−S
␳
IB,共22兲
whe e p
␳
and p
␤
a e he momen a associa ed wi h
␳
and
␤
.
The ele an commu a o s a e he ollowing:
关h0, 兴=iAS共p
␳
IB−兵p
␤
,IT其/2
␳
兲,共23兲
关关h0, 兴, 兴=−AS2共IB
2+IT
2−兵p
␤
,Iy其/2兲.共24兲
No e ha 关关h0, 兴,h0兴=0 and 关关关h0, 兴, 兴,h0兴=0. Fo spin-
1/2 pa icles, I=1/2, IB
2=IT
2=1/4.
A. Adiaba ic app oxima ion
The simples app oxima ion o he e olu ion ope a o
consis s in neglec ing comple ely he e ec o h0. This leads
o he adiaba ic app oxima ion, gi en by
U共 兲⯝exp共−i 兲= exp共i S
␳
IB兲.共25兲
No e ha his exp ession conse es he p ojec ion o he spin
along he di ec ion o he magne ic ield. Thus, i is con e-
nien o expand he ini ial spin s a e in o s a es 兩n典which
ul ill IB兩n典=n兩n典. This can be done conside ing he o a ion
o an angle
␤
a ound he yaxis which akes he z axis o he
di ec ion o he magne ic ield. Thus, he adiaba ic exp es-
sion o he wa e unc ion a e he in e ac ion becomes
具
␳
␤
;m兩⌽共 兲;m0典=Nexp
冉
−
␳
2−2
␳
z0cos
␤
+z0
2
2
冊
⫻兺
ndnm
1/2共
␤
兲exp共in
␳
S 兲dnm0
1/2 共
␤
兲.
共26兲
No e ha his exp ession is equi alen o Eq. 共3.3兲in 关10兴,
FIG. 2. Con ou plo o he p obabili y dis ibu ion o he spin-
lip componen 共spin up o spin down兲o he wa e unc ion. The
maximum is 3.3⫻10−4.
QUANTUM MECHANICAL DESCRIPTION OF STERN-…PHYSICAL REVIEW A 71, 052106 共2005兲
052106-5

whe e hey expanded he wa e unc ion in componen s ha
had de ini e spin p ojec ions along he local magne ic ield.
This exp ession con ains he quali a i e ea u es desc ibed in
he nume ical calcula ion. The e is a spin- lip p obabili y, as
m⫽m0. The ocusing e ec appea s when his adiaba ic
wa e unc ion unde goes a ee e olu ion du ing a ime d
a e he in e ac ion. Howe e , du ing he in e ac ion ime,
he p obabili y dis ibu ion is ozen.
B. Pseudoadiaba ic app oxima ion
The nex app oxima ion consis s in neglec ing he com-
mu a o 关h0, 兴. This leads o he pseudoadiaba ic app oxi-
ma ion, gi en by
U共 兲⯝exp共−i 兲exp共−i h0兲= exp共i S
␳
IB兲U0共 兲.共27兲
This exp ession also conse es he p ojec ion o he spin
along he di ec ion o he magne ic ield, bu s a ing om a
wa e unc ion ha has e ol ed eely du ing he in e ac ion
ime . The wa e unc ion has an analy ic exp ession gi en
by
具
␳
␤
;m兩⌽共 兲;m0典=Nexp
冉
−
␳
2−2
␳
z0cos
␤
+z0
2
2共1+iA 兲
冊
⫻兺
ndnm
1/2共
␤
兲exp共in
␳
S 兲dnm0
1/2 共
␤
兲.
共28兲
The di e ence o his exp ession wi h he adiaba ic one
lies in he ac ha he Gaussian wa e packe ge s wide
du ing he in e ac ion ime, by a ac o 冑1+A2, which is he
widening o he ee wa e packe du ing he in e ac ion ime.
C. Cohe en -s a e app oxima ion
We conside he expansion o he e olu ion ope a o up o
he hi d o de commu a o . The ollowing ela ions can be
de i ed:
U共 兲⯝exp
冉
共−i 兲3
6关关关h0, 兴, 兴兴
冊
exp共−i 兲
⫻exp
冉
共−i 兲2
2关h0, 兴
冊
U0共 兲.共29兲
This exp ession is he basis o an analy ic ea men o he
wa e unc ion. Fo ha pu pose, we no e ha he dominan
e ms in he e olu ion ope a o a e hose which conse e he
spin p ojec ion along he di ec ion o he magne ic ield. The
s ongly oscilla ing ac o exp共−i 兲 ends o cancel he e ms
ha do no conse e IB. We e ain in he expansion only
hose e ms which commu e wi h IB. This leads o he exp es-
sion
U共 兲⯝exp共−i 3AS2/12兲exp共i S
␳
IB兲exp共−i 2ASp
␳
IB兲U0共 兲.
共30兲
The ope a o exp共−i 2ASp
␳
IB兲, when ac ing on eigens a es o
IB, gene a es a displacemen in
␳
, which is gi en by
␳
=
␳
i
+ 2ASIB. This leads o an analy ic exp ession o he wa e
unc ion, gi en by
具
␳
␤
;m兩⌽共 兲,m0典
= exp共iAS2 3/12兲N兺
ndnm
1/2共
␤
兲exp共in
␳
S 兲冑
␳
n
␳
⫻exp
冉
−
␳
n
2−2
␳
nz0cos
␤
−z0
2
2共1+iA 兲
冊
dnm0
1/2 共
␤
兲,共31兲
whe e
␳
n=
␳
−nAS 2/2. This wa e unc ion conse es he
spin p ojec ion along he di ec ion o he magne ic ield.
Thus, he s a es wi h a de ini e spin p ojec ion along he
magne ic ield in each posi ion co espond o he cohe en
in e nal s a es in oduced in Re . 关7兴. So we call his app oxi-
ma ion he cohe en -s a e app oxima ion. No e ha in his
app oxima ion he wa e unc ion no only ge s wide du ing
he in e ac ing egion, bu he componen s wi h di e en al-
ues o IBsepa a e.
D. Symme ized app oxima ion
We can app oxima e he e olu ion ope a o by he ollow-
ing exp ession, which is co ec up o commu a o s o ou h
o de :
U共 兲⯝U0共 /2兲exp兵−i −共−i 兲3关关h0, 兴, 兴/12其U0共 /2兲.
共32兲
Neglec ing he e ms ha do no commu e wi h IB,we
ha e
U共 兲⯝exp共i 3AS2/24兲U0共 /2兲exp共i S
␳
IB兲U0共 /2兲.共33兲
The wa e unc ion can be w i en as
兩⌽共 兲;m0典= exp共iAS2 3/24兲U0共 /2兲兩⌽⬘共 兲;m0典,共34兲
whe e
具
␳
␤
;n兩⌽⬘共 兲;m0典=Nexp
冉
−
␳
2−2
␳
z0cos
␤
+z0
2
2共1+iA /2兲
冊
⫻兺
ndnm
1/2共
␤
兲exp共−in
␳
S 兲dnm0
1/2 共
␤
兲,
共35兲
which, al hough i is no comple ely analy ic, i can be ap-
plied o e alua e he expansion o he wa e unc ion in a
ha monic oscilla o basis. This app oxima ion co esponds o
spli he e ec o U0共 兲du ing he in e ac ion symme ically,
aking hal o i be o e and hal o i a e he in e ac ion.
No e ha he e also he e olu ion associa ed wi h he in e ac-
ion conse es he spin p ojec ion along he magne ic ield.
We call his he symme ized app oxima ion.
E. Compa ison wi h he exac calcula ion
We ha e pe o med calcula ions wi h all he app oxima-
ions. We ind ha he quali a i e cha ac e is ics o he exac
calcula ions discussed abo e, which a e he ocusing e ec
in he componen which goes o nega i e z alues and he
POTEL e al. PHYSICAL REVIEW A 71, 052106 共2005兲
052106-6
p esence o spin- lip componen s, appea in all he calcula-
ions. The quan i a i e di e ences be ween he di e en ap-
p oaches a ise in he momen um dis ibu ion o he spin lip
componen . This comes ou symme ic in he adiaba ic and
pseudoadiaba ic app oxima ions 共same p obabili y dis ibu-
ion o posi i e and nega i e momen a兲and no ully sym-
me ic in he cohe en -s a e o symme ized app oxima ions,
in close ag eemen wi h he exac calcula ions.
To e alua e he quali y o hese app oxima ions, we ha e
calcula ed he a e age o he o e lap be ween he exac and
app oxima e calcula ions. This o e lap is de ined as
O=1
2冏兺
m0
具⌽ex共 =1兲;m0兩⌽ap共 =1兲;m0典冏.共36兲
They a e displayed in Fig. 3, as a unc ion o he adiaba ici y
pa ame e A, o a ixed alue o he p oduc AS=2, which
de e mines he de ia ion o he cen e o he wa e packe in
he magne ic ield, as shown in Eq. 共9兲. The quan i y 1−Ois
abou 10% o a wide ange o alues o A. In pa icula , o
A=0.5 and S=4, 1−0=0.088 o he adiaba ic calcula ion
and 1−O=0.064 o he pseudoadiaba ic calcula ion. On he
con a y, he symme ized and cohe en -s a e app oxima ions
a e much be e , so ha 1−Ois abou 0.1%. In pa icula , o
A=0.5 and S=4, 1−0=0.0015 o he cohe en -s a e and
1−0=0.0006 o he symme ized calcula ions. The eason
o his be e ag eemen a ises om he ac ha he
cohe en -s a e and symme ized calcula ions allow o he
dis o ion in he wa e unc ion p oduced by he magne ic
ield g adien , while o he adiaba ic and pseudoadiaba ic
calcula ions he e ec o he ield con ibu es only o a phase.
In all he calcula ions ha we ha e pe o med, he quali y
o he app oxima ed calcula ions imp o es as one goes om
he adiaba ic o he pseudoadiaba ic o he cohe en s a e and
inally o he symme ized app oxima ions. Globally consid-
e ed, he app oxima ions de e io a e as he p oduc SA ge s
la ge , because hen he e is mo e dis o ion in oduced in he
wa e unc ion due o he combined e ec o he in e ac ion
and he ee Hamil onian.
A e y in e es ing case is he limi A→0, S→⬁ o ixed
alues o AS. Nai ely, one would expec ha he adiaba ic
app oxima ion would be adequa e he e, as he ee Hamil-
onian h0is negligible compa ed o . Howe e , his is no
he case. As shown in Fig. 3, he adiaba ic and pseudoadi-
aba ic app oxima ions a e a he poo , gi ing alues o
1−Oo abou a ew pe cen . The cohe en -s a e and symme-
ized app oxima ions a e e y good o A=0.015, bu hen
hey become wo se o smalle alues o A. Nume ical cal-
cula ions a e e y di icul when Sis la ge, because a la ge
oscilla o basis is needed. An analy ic solu ion o his limi -
ing case would be desi able.
The in e es o his limi case 共A→0, AS cons an 兲is no
only o mal. In nuclea physics he e a e cases in which
weakly bound nuclei in e ac s ongly wi h a ge s du ing a
e y sho ime, so ha he quan um s a e is signi ican ly
dis o ed. The alidi y o he adiaba ic app oxima ion in
hese si ua ions is open o deba e 关12兴.
No e ha in he de ini ion o he o e lap we allow o an
o e all phase di e ence be ween he exac and app oxima e
wa e unc ions. This o e all phase di e ence does no a ec
any obse able. We ind ha he bes app oxima e calcula-
ions 共cohe en s a e and symme ized兲only ep oduce accu-
a ely he phase o he exac wa e unc ion when bo h Aand
Sa e small. We hink ha his is ela ed o he e ec o
highe -o de e ms in he commu a o se ies o he e olu ion
ope a o , which seem o a ec only a global phase in he
wa e unc ion.
So we see om hese app oxima ions ha a c ucial ea-
u e o hem is he ac ha he mos ele an e ms in he
e olu ion ope a o conse e he spin p ojec ion along he lo-
cal di ec ion o he magne ic ield. This is he basis o he
semiclassical calcula ion pe o med in 关7兴, in which he
s a es wi h de ini e spin p ojec ions along he local magne ic
ield we e aken as cohe en in e nal s a es, and hence hei
mo ion could be desc ibed in e ms o ajec o ies.
Despi e he ac ha he app oxima ions discussed he e,
especially he cohe en -s a e and symme ized app oxima-
ions, a e e y accu a e, hey do no desc ibe an impo an
e ec o he exac e olu ion ope a o . In all he app oaches
desc ibed he e, he sca e ing ampli udes o gi en spin p o-
jec ions along he yaxis 共 he beam axis兲a e equal, up o a
phase ac o , o he ampli udes in which he spin p ojec ions
a e e e sed. This is a esul o he ac ha only e ms which
commu e wi h IBa e allowed in he expansion o he e olu-
ion ope a o .
V. REEXAMINING THE STERN-GERLACH
EXPERIMENTS
In he ex book desc ip ion o he S e n-Ge lach expe i-
men , he de lec ion o he beam gi es in o ma ion o he
spin p ojec ion along he zaxis, which is he one ha poin s
along he magne ic ield a he cen e o he beam. The de-
lec ion o he beam is no sensi i e o he spin componen s
along o he di ec ions. I , o a spin-1/2 pa icle, he ini ial
FIG. 3. O e laps o he app oxima e wa e unc ions wi h he
exac one, as a unc ion o he adiaba ici y pa ame e , o SA=2.
The alue 1−O=0 co espond o pe ec ag eemen . The solid line
is he adiaba ic app oxima ion, he dashed line is he pseudoadi-
aba ic app oxima ion, he do ed line is he cohe en -s a e app oxi-
ma ion, and he do -dashed line is he symme ized app oxima ion.
QUANTUM MECHANICAL DESCRIPTION OF STERN-…PHYSICAL REVIEW A 71, 052106 共2005兲
052106-7
spin poin s along he xaxis, mx=+1/2, he ex book desc ip-
ion would indica e ha he pa e n o sca e ed pa icles
would be comple ely equi alen o ha one p oduced by a
mix u e o 50% mz=+1/2 and 50% mz=−1/2 pa icles. The
same would be ue o mx=−1/2. So a S e n-Ge lach expe i-
men is no expec ed o gi e any asymme y be ween di e -
en spin p ojec ions pe pendicula o he zaxis.
To in es iga e his ques ion, we de ine he asymme y o
a gi en axis as he di e ence in he p obabili ies o inding
he sca e ed pa icles in a gi en posi ion in he 共z,x兲plane
o he wo spin p ojec ions. Thus, we ha e
Az共x,z兲=兺
mm0m0
⬘
具x,z;m兩⌽共 兲;m0典具x,z;m兩⌽共 兲;m0
⬘典*具m0兩
␴
z兩m0
⬘典,
共37兲
Ax共x,z兲=兺
mm0m0
⬘
具x,z;m兩⌽共 兲;m0典
⫻具x,z;m兩⌽共 兲;m0
⬘典*具m0兩
␴
x兩m0
⬘典,共38兲
Ay共x,z兲=兺
mm0m0
⬘
具x,z;m兩⌽共 兲;m0典
⫻具x,z;m兩⌽共 兲;m0
⬘典*具m0兩
␴
y兩m0
⬘典.共39兲
No e ha , in he s anda d desc ip ion o he S e n-Ge lach
expe imen , he spin p ojec ion along he zaxis is conse ed,
and hus he asymme ies Axand Ayshould anish a all
poin s. This is no he case. As shown in Fig. 4共b兲, he e is a
di e ence in he pa e n o pa icles sca e ed depending on
he spin p ojec ion along he xaxis. This e ec is ound o
depend on he inhomogenei y o he magne ic ield, which is
de e mined by z0=B0/B1
␴
.I z0is la ge, he inhomogenei y
o he magne ic ield explo ed by he beam is small and so is
Ax. This asymme y can be calcula ed, wi h a ious deg ees
o accu acy, making use o he app oxima e ea men s dis-
cussed he e. I can also be calcula ed wi h he semiclassical
ea men o 关7兴. The o igin o his asymme y can be unde -
s ood by a guing ha he mo ion in an inhomogeneous mag-
ne ic ield conse es he spin p ojec ion along he local mag-
ne ic ield, which has a di e en di ec ion o he di e en
pa s o he wa e unc ion. This links wi h he concep o
cohe en in e nal s a es, which we e in oduced in Re . 关8兴.
The calcula ions in Fig. 4共a兲show also ha he e is an
asymme y Aywhich means ha he e is a dependence o he
spin p ojec ion along he yaxis. This is a dynamical e ec ,
which does no appea in he semiclassical desc ip ion. In
ac , in he analy ic app oxima ions p esen ed he e, he alue
o Ay anishes a e he in e ac ion. Only a e allowing o
some ime o ee e olu ion do non anishing alues o Ay
de elop. The o igin o his asymme y a ises om he e m
AS2p
␤
Iywhich appea s in he double commu a o 关关h0, 兴, 兴.
The e ec o his e m can be unde s ood because p
␤
is he
gene a o o o a ions in he 共x,z兲plane, a ound he poin x
=0, z=−z0, whe e he ield anishes. The e ec o his e m
in he expansion o he e olu ion ope a o would gene a e a
o a ion in he wa e unc ion a ound he poin whe e he ield
anishes, which will be opposi e o he di e en spin p o-
jec ions along he zaxis. Indeed, his e ec compe es wi h
he in e ac ion =S
␳
IB, which ends o p ese e he spin p o-
jec ion along he di ec ion o he ield. The esul o his
compe i ion is ha he magni ude o he asymme y depends
on he a io AS/z0. No e ha he asymme y Ayis associa ed
o he dynamically gene a ed e m AS2p
␤
Iy. This e m de-
pends on he spin p ojec ion Iybu is independen o Yo PY.
So he mo ion in he Ydi ec ion is una ec ed by he dynam-
ics, and hence i is gi en by he ee e olu ion o he Y
componen o he ini ial wa e packe .
FIG. 4. Asymme ies o pa icles pola ized along he y共a兲,x
共b兲, and z共c兲di ec ions. No e ha he maximum asymme y occu s
o pa icles pola ized along he zaxis, bu ha he e a e impo an
asymme ies o pa icles pola ized along he xand yaxes.
POTEL e al. PHYSICAL REVIEW A 71, 052106 共2005兲
052106-8
The ac ha all he asymme ies a e non anishing and
also ha hey ha e di e en beha io as a unc ion o 共x,z兲
leads o an exci ing possibili y. Conside ha we ha e a
beam o pa icles, so ha we do no know hei pola iza ion
s a e. We can make he beam go h ough an inhomogeneous
ield, as desc ibed he e, and de ec he pa e n o sca e ed
pa icles. Le he pola iza ion s a e be desc ibed ini ially as a
densi y ma ix
␳
=1/2共I+px
␴
x+py
␴
y+pz
␴
z兲, whe e p
ជ
is a
ec o which measu es he deg ee and di ec ion o he beam
pola iza ion. Then, he densi y o pa icles de ec ed in he
共x,z兲plane will be p opo ional o
P共x,z兲=P0共x,z兲+1
2关pxAx共x,z兲+pyAy共x,z兲+pzAz共x,z兲兴.
共40兲
This allows us o ob ain all he componen s o he pola iza-
ion ec o om he pa e n o sca e ed pa icles, when a
su icien numbe o pa icles a e de ec ed. No e ha , in con-
as o exp ession 共40兲, he ex book desc ip ion o he
S e n-Ge lach expe imen would be consis en wi h a p ob-
abili y densi y gi en by
P共x,z兲=P0共x,z兲+1
2pzAz共x,z兲,
Az共x,z兲=2P0共x,z兲,z⬎0,
Az共x,z兲=−2P0共x,z兲,z⬍0. 共41兲
This exp ession, when applicable, would allow one o ob ain
in o ma ion only on he alue o pz.
VI. SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
We ha e in es iga ed he mo ion o a pa icle wi h spin in
an inhomogeneous magne ic ield using a quan um mechani-
cal amewo k. Ou aim is o in es iga e in de ail he limi a-
ions o he usual ex book app oach o S e n-Ge lach expe i-
men s, which assumes ha he spin p ojec ion along he
di ec ion o he magne ic ield is conse ed, while di e en
spin componen s acqui e a momen um which depends on he
g adien o he ield.
We ind ha , consis en ly wi h a p e ious semiclassical
analysis, he e is a sizable p obabili y o spin lip, which
depends on he inhomogenei y o he ield. Besides, he e is
a ocusing e ec in he componen ha de ia es owa ds he
di ec ion in which he modulus o he ield dec eases. These
cha ac e is ics a e e y obus and occu in dynamical si ua-
ions which a e a om he semiclassical limi .
Thus, we can conclude ha he S e n-Ge lach expe imen
is no , e en in p inciple, an ideal expe imen , which would
“p ojec ” he in e nal s a e in o he eigen alues o he mea-
su emen ope a o . Mo eo e , he expe imen is no ully e-
liable, as he posi ions o momen a o he pa icles do no
gi e unequi ocal in o ma ion on he spin p ojec ion. The
magni ude ha de e mines how close a S e n-Ge lach expe i-
men is o an ideal eliable measu emen is z0=
␴
B0/B1. Only
when he magne ic ield B0is e y la ge compa ed o i s
g adien o when he size o he beam
␴
is e y small would
he S e n-Ge lach expe imen app oxima e o an ideal eli-
able measu emen .
We ha e in es iga ed di e en app oxima e ea men s o
he exac quan um mechanical p oblem. We ind ha , o a
good app oxima ion, he in e ac ion occu s as i he spin p o-
jec ion along he magne ic ield a each posi ion was con-
se ed. This indica es ha , o each posi ion in he inhomo-
geneous ield, he s a es wi h a gi en spin p ojec ion along
he magne ic ield a e cohe en in e nal s a es. Then, p o-
ided ha he quan um size o he wa e unc ion is small
compa ed o he inhomogenei y o he magne ic ield, i is
meaning ul o app oxima e he mo ion o hese s a es in
e ms o classical ajec o ies. This jus i ies he ea men pe -
o med in 关7兴.
I is in e es ing o no e ha he adiaba ic app oxima ion is
no accu a e, e en in he limi o small A共la ge mass o sho
in e ac ion ime兲, i , a he same ime, he in e ac ion is la ge
so ha i gene a es a ixed de lec ion angle. This obse a ion
can be ele an o cases, such as in nuclea physics 关12兴,in
which, al hough he collision imes a e sho o gua an ee he
alidi y o he adiaba ic app oxima ion, he o ces a e so
s ong o p oduce a ini e de lec ion.
Ou calcula ions indica e ha he S e n-Ge lach expe i-
men is no an ideal measu ing appa a us, in he sense o Re .
关5兴. Howe e , his does no mean ha one canno acqui e
accu a e knowledge om he spin s a e o he p ojec ile by
obse ing he s a is ical esul s o he expe imen . On he
con a y, while an idealized S e n-Ge lach expe imen will
no gi e any in o ma ion o he spin p ojec ion along he xo
yaxis, he analysis o a ealis ic S e n-Ge lach expe imen ,
such as modeled in ou calcula ions, can gi e he alue o all
he componen s o he densi y ma ix ha desc ibes he po-
la iza ion o he beam.
Ou analysis suppo s he idea ha he in e p e a ion o
ealis ic expe imen s does no equi e he use o he educ-
ion p inciple, as discussed by se e al au ho s in 关11兴. Thus,
he in e ac ion be ween he spin and magne ic ield, which is
desc ibed in a pu ely quan um mechanical amewo k, gen-
e a es a co ela ion be ween he spin pola iza ion o he beam
and he inal posi ion o he pa icles o he beam. A mea-
su emen o a su icien ly la ge numbe o hese posi ions
allows one o de e mine he componen s o he densi y ma-
ix o he beam wi h su icien s a is ical accu acy. The e-
duc ion p inciple is no equi ed in his a gumen .
ACKNOWLEDGMENT
This wo k has been pa ially suppo ed by he Spanish
MCyT, P ojec s No. FPA2002-04181-C04-04 and BFM2002-
03315.
QUANTUM MECHANICAL DESCRIPTION OF STERN-…PHYSICAL REVIEW A 71, 052106 共2005兲
052106-9