arXiv:1608.01638 · Results in Physics

A modified Stern-Gerlach experiment using a quantum two-state magnetic field

Ramin G. Daghigh, Michael D. Green, Christopher J. West

Published Mar 21, 2018• 3 citations

Abstract

The Stern-Gerlach experiment has played an important role in our understanding of quantum behavior. We propose and analyze a modified version of this experiment where the magnetic field of the detector is in a quantum superposition, which may be experimentally realized using a superconducting flux qubit. We show that if incident spin-1/2 particles couple with the two-state magnetic field, a discrete target distribution results that resembles the distribution in the classical Stern-Gerlach experiment. As an application of the general result, we compute the distribution for a Gaussian waveform of the incident fermion. This analysis allows us to demonstrate theoretically: (1) the quantization of the intrinsic angular momentum of a spin-1/2 particle, and (2) a correlation between EPR pairs leading to nonlocality, without necessarily collapsing the particle’s spin wavefunction.

DOI: 10.1016/j.rinp.2018.03.022

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