 Walther Gerlach

Walther Gerlach and Otto Stern sent a neutral silver atomic beam through a nonuniform magnetic field. Its deposited trace separated into discrete components instead of the continuous range expected from an elementary classical orientation model. The magnetic field gradient converts different magnetic moment projections into distinct trajectories; a uniform magnetic field lacks the required separating force. The Stern-Gerlach experiment thus makes the field geometry essential to the observation, while its modern spin interpretation differs from the original expectations.^[ref]

A physicist.^[ref]

The Stern-Gerlach experiment, with Otto Stern, sent a neutral silver atomic beam through a nonuniform magnetic field and recorded its deposition pattern.