The Stern-Gerlach Experiment, Translation of: "Der experimentelle Nachweis der Richtungsquantelung im Magnetfeld"

TL;DR

This paper reports the first experimental evidence for space quantisation in atoms using the Stern-Gerlach experiment, demonstrating atomic magnetic moment quantisation in a magnetic field.

Contribution

It provides the original experimental demonstration of atomic space quantisation, confirming quantum theory predictions for atomic angular momentum states.

Findings

Evidence of atomic space quantisation in magnetic fields

Observation of discrete angular momentum states

Confirmation of quantum angular momentum theory

Abstract

The following is a translation of the paper by Walther Gerlach and Otto Stern that reported the first evidence for the quantisation of atoms in a magnetic field. The atoms have quantum states corresponding to a limited number of possible angles between the directions of the angular momenta of the atoms and the magnetic field, also called space quantisation. Wording and layout have been chosen to be as close to the original as possible. For context we recommend the recent review.