Awarded to Otto Stern for the molecular beam method and discovery of the proton magnetic moment. The molecular beam article develops direct measurements of particle speeds.[ref]
Otto Stern Created 2026-10-18 Updated 2026-11-05
Otto Stern developed molecular-beam methods that infer microscopic properties from controlled particle trajectories. With Walther Gerlach, he sent a neutral silver beam through a magnetic field gradient, producing discrete deposited components. The beam's translational motion carries information about its internal magnetic moment projection to a macroscopic detector. Changing the magnetic field geometry or the beam preparation changes that mapping, making the apparatus part of the interpretation of the Stern-Gerlach experiment.[ref][ref]
The Stern-Gerlach experiment with Walther Gerlach tested the deflection of a neutral silver atomic beam in a nonuniform magnetic field.
Figure 1.
Portrait of Otto Stern
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