PX262 - G1 - particle with angular momentum in magnetic field
- considering the classical motion of an electron on a circular path with a radius, , and angular velocity,
- the magnitude of the angular momentum will be:
- it direction will be perpendicular to the plane of the orbit
- the circular movement will induce a current, , when moving around a loop of area,
- the magnetic moment will be equal to the product of the current and the loop area, its direction anti-parallel to due to the negative sign:
- using postulate 3, the magnetic moment operator:
- the -component of the operator:
- if a magnetic field, , is applied to this system, the energy of the interaction will be:
- in quantum mechanics, if the -field is aligned with the -axis:
- systems that are eigenstates of , with eigenvalue , a measurement will yield:
- defining the bohr magneton
- if the state with is put into the magnetic field, three transmission energies are expected in the spectra, for