Stern–Gerlach experiment

The Stern-Gerlach experiment revealed that particles with a magnetic moment, such as silver atoms, are deflected in discrete directions when passed through a magnetic field gradient. This deflection pattern demonstrated that angular momentum is quantized, not continuous.

The experiment involved sending silver atoms through a spatially-varying magnetic field. The magnetic field gradient caused particles with a non-zero magnetic moment to deviate from a straight path and strike a detector screen at specific points.

The results showed discrete points of accumulation on the detector screen, indicating that particles had quantized spin values. This experiment was crucial in convincing physicists of the reality of angular-momentum quantization in atomic-scale systems.