Timeline for What is the evidence (experimental observation) that elementary particles have spin angular momentum?
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| Jul 11, 2020 at 19:05 | comment | added | The_Sympathizer | Of course, this is empirical science so ultimately all we can really say is "it behaves in a way equivalent to [quantum mechanically-treated] spinning motion with a fixed amount of angular momentum, down to the level of all measurements so far". | |
| Jul 11, 2020 at 19:03 | comment | added | The_Sympathizer | the dipole responds when subjected to an external magnetic field. A spinning magnetic-generating object will undergo precession like a gyroscope and I believe you can find something like that for the electron. | |
| Jul 11, 2020 at 19:03 | comment | added | The_Sympathizer | @aquagremlin Yes - I think that there is other evidence that pointed more specifically to that it was the spin of electrons and not other forms of motion. Regarding your idea of a different electron shape, it would have to mean the electron was that much smaller than our upper bound on its size, because the perfection of the electron dipole field is also something that has been tested to extremely high precision. Add: I just thought of another one that we could add and likely makes for an even better confirmation it is specifically the angular momentum of the electron and that is to ask how | |
| Jul 11, 2020 at 17:57 | comment | added | aquagremlin | Or instead of an orbiting electron, they could have envisioned a twisted electron- something like the shape you would get if you took the two ends of a balloon and twisted in opposite directions. So I get the sense that the concept of spin with electrons is arbitrary. | |
| Jul 11, 2020 at 17:48 | comment | added | aquagremlin | As so often with a good answer, it just inspires more questions. But I will refrain so as not to be accused of moving the goalpost. Perhaps tho you can confirm my understanding - the idea of electron spin is born of an attempt to explain permanent magnetism - because at the time everyone was just getting the idea that a circularly moving electric current in a wire generated magnetism. So a spinning electron was envisioned, when in actuality they might have more properly posited electrons orbiting a geometric center. This little thing would make a magnetic domain. | |
| Jul 11, 2020 at 17:36 | vote | accept | aquagremlin | ||
| Jul 11, 2020 at 3:40 | history | edited | The_Sympathizer | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Jul 11, 2020 at 0:27 | history | edited | The_Sympathizer | CC BY-SA 4.0 |
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| Jul 11, 2020 at 0:21 | history | answered | The_Sympathizer | CC BY-SA 4.0 |