Welcome Physics Lovers! Ask Your Questions About Electron Spin

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External forces do not change the intrinsic property of electron spin, which is fixed at 1/2 for fermions. While the orientation of spin can be influenced by external electromagnetic forces, the spin itself cannot be altered. The Stern-Gerlach experiment demonstrates how electron spin can be observed and manipulated, showing that electrons can be separated based on their spin orientation. Additionally, the concept of encoding binary information using electron spin states, with spin-up representing 0 and spin-down representing 1, highlights its relevance in quantum computing. Understanding these principles is crucial for advancements in quantum technologies.
EinsteinII
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Hello Physics Lovers,

I was working and suddenly got this question. What external forces have effects on electron spin, like slowing down/speeding up? Is that a possible thing in the first place?
 
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Spin is an intrinsic property of a particle, similar to mass. It cannot be changed at all. Note that the particle isn't actually spinning in a circle. It's just that some of the math involving certain properties behaves AS IF it were a small little ball spinning around.
 
Electron is a fermion with spin 1/2 which can't be altered. The orientation of spin can be "up" or "down" and this can be seen by an external electromagnetic force. It may be interesting to read about the Stern-Gerlach experiment: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stern–Gerlach_experiment
 
You may be interested to know that it may be possible to separate/select/confine electron with specific spin. See this.
 
manojr said:
You may be interested to know that it may be possible to separate/select/confine electron with specific spin. See this.

I think they are just flipping them to encode binary information: spin-up= 0, spin-down= 1.
 

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