Entangled electrons in the Stern-Gerlach experiment?

Click For Summary

Discussion Overview

The discussion revolves around the implications of entangled electrons in the context of the Stern-Gerlach experiment. Participants explore how entangled states might behave when subjected to the apparatus designed to measure electron spin, delving into the nature of entanglement and its effects on measurement outcomes.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Conceptual clarification
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant expresses curiosity about the behavior of entangled electrons in the Stern-Gerlach experiment, indicating an interest in both simple and complex explanations.
  • Another participant clarifies that the Stern-Gerlach experiment separates electrons based on their spin states, specifically noting that it splits a beam into two based on spin orientation.
  • There is a discussion about the terminology used, with participants correcting the term "ununiform" to "nonuniform" in reference to the magnetic field.
  • A participant questions the specifics of how the electrons are entangled and how they are introduced into the experiment, suggesting that the method of entanglement may influence the results.
  • Participants discuss the concept of entanglement, highlighting that it can involve different observables such as spin, position, or momentum, and inquire about which specific observable is being considered.
  • One participant mentions that if two entangled electrons are sent through the apparatus one at a time, the measurement results will be correlated, depending on the nature of their entanglement.
  • The simplest case of entanglement discussed is the "singlet" state, where the spins are correlated to yield opposite results.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants generally agree on the mechanics of the Stern-Gerlach experiment and the nature of spin measurement, but there is no consensus on the specifics of entanglement types and their implications for the experiment. The discussion remains exploratory with multiple viewpoints on how entangled states might behave.

Contextual Notes

Participants note the importance of defining the type of entanglement and the specific observables involved, indicating that the discussion is limited by these definitions and the assumptions made about the experimental setup.

Quarky nerd
Messages
10
Reaction score
0
I have always been interested in entagled electrons. so I thought about the stern gerlack experiment and simly wondered what would happen to entagled electrons in such an experiment. (although the prefix says high school i am able to appreciate more complicated answers).
 
Physics news on Phys.org
What research have you done so far? What have you found out?
 
well i understand that the stern gerlack exeriment utilizes an ununiform magnetic field in order push electrons of different spins into different places.
 
[Edit: removed comment in response to "ununiform", I had misread the post]

Quarky nerd said:
in order push electrons of different spins into different places.

More precisely, electrons with spins in different directions. All electrons have spins of the same magnitude.

And even more precisely, what the Stern-Gerlach apparatus does is split a beam of electrons into two beams, one with spin "up" in the chosen direction, the other with spin "down" in the chosen direction.
 
Last edited:
Quarky nerd said:
well i understand that the stern gerlack exeriment utilizes an ununiform magnetic field in order push electrons of different spins into different places.
By "ununiform" do you mean "nonuniform"? Asking because "ununiform" is very likely to be misread by a native English speaker.
 
Quarky nerd said:
I thought about the stern gerlack experiment and simly wondered what would happen to entagled electrons in such an experiment.

Can you be more specific about the kind of scenario you are thinking about? How do the electrons get entangled, and how are they fed into the Stern-Gerlach apparatus?
 
Nugatory said:
By "ununiform" do you mean "nonuniform"? Asking because "ununiform" is very likely to be misread by a native English speaker.

Yes, indeed, as I proved by example. :wink: I have edited my post #4 to remove that comment.
 
sorry for my grammar yes I had meant nonuniform. and from what I understand( if this is not the case please correct me) it wouldn't matter how the electrons were entagled as long as they were entangled before fed into the experiment. as for means of projection i was thinking a small particle accelerator
 
Quarky nerd said:
it wouldn't matter how the electrons were entagled as long as they were entangled before fed into the experiment

Normally when considering the Stern-Gerlach experiment we treat the electrons as being fed through the experiment one at a time. Are you thinking of having two entangled electrons fed through the apparatus one at a time?

Also, "entangled" isn't a sufficiently precise description; there is more than one way of having two electrons be entangled. What specific entangled state are you thinking of?
 
  • #10
i was unaware that there were multiple types of entaglement. could you eleborate.
 
  • #11
Quarky nerd said:
i was unaware that there were multiple types of entaglement. could you eleborate.

Entanglement means, basically, that certain observables of the two electrons are correlated. But there are multiple observables that could be correlated: position, momentum, spin, for example. Which observables of the two electrons were you thinking would be correlated?
 
  • #12
ummmmmm i was thinking spin but this answers a lot of important questions
 
  • #13
Quarky nerd said:
i was thinking spin

That's what I had expected, since the Stern-Gerlach apparatus measures spin. :wink: But it's good to be explicit.

Then, as you have probably guessed from my last post, the answer is that if you send two electrons whose spins are entangled through a Stern-Gerlach apparatus one at a time, the results of the measurements (which beam the two electrons come out in) will be correlated. The exact correlation will depend on exactly how the spins are entangled. The simplest case is the "singlet" state, where the spins of the electrons are entangled in such a way that they always give opposite measurement results (one spin "up" and the other spin "down").
 
  • Like
Likes   Reactions: vanhees71
  • #14
thank you very much this has been multitudes of help for more projects than i expected:oldlaugh::partytime:
 
  • #15
Quarky nerd said:
thank you very much

You're welcome! I'm glad this was helpful.
 

Similar threads

Undergrad When was the formula for the Stern-Gerlach experiment found?
  • · Replies 7 ·
Replies
7
Views
2K
Graduate Quantitative description of successive Stern-Gerlach measurements
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
High School Double slit experiment combined with Stern-Gerlach
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Undergrad How many spots will a rotating Stern-Gerlach apparatus produce?
  • · Replies 32 ·
2
Replies
32
Views
2K
Undergrad Who was the first to make a Stern-Gerlach experiment with two magnets?
  • · Replies 9 ·
Replies
9
Views
2K
Undergrad Question about Stern-Gerlach experiment
  • · Replies 12 ·
Replies
12
Views
3K
Graduate Has the 2-stage Stern-Gerlach experiment been performed?
  • · Replies 2 ·
Replies
2
Views
2K
High School Conservation of Total Spin in the Stern Gerlach Experiment
  • · Replies 4 ·
Replies
4
Views
2K
Graduate Double Stern-Gerlach experiment
  • · Replies 1 ·
Replies
1
Views
2K
Graduate How Does the Stern-Gerlach Experiment Illuminate the Electron Spin Problem?
  • · Replies 6 ·
Replies
6
Views
3K