Solution

ID: past-exam-of-the-physics-a-course-of-the-university-of-cambridge/2011/paper-2/section-b/b8/b/solution

The populations give
Together with , this describes Larmor precession of a spin initially perpendicular to the field. The positive angular frequency is ; the sign specifies the rotation sense through . The factor of two between the spinor amplitudes and the measured spin is essential. The model with quantum coherence predicts no decay; spin relaxation or dephasing in a real solid can damp the oscillation.

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