Unique Presentation Identifier:
O16
Program Type
Undergraduate
Faculty Advisor
Dr. Jessica Young
Document Type
Presentation
Location
Face-to-face
Start Date
29-4-2025 1:14 PM
Abstract
At the turn of the 19th century, scientists were gradually realizing that nature did not behave as it had been thought for centuries. Many thought the concrete laws governing nature were soon to be completed. As we now know, their deterministic optimism was far from reality. Electromagnetic theory predicted that the spectral line emissions from a bulb would split into three distinct bands in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. This behavior was proven in what is known as the Normal Zeeman Effect. What was not expected though was the host of extraneous bands that accompanied the predicted triplet of spectra. The Anomalous Zeeman Effect was an early indicator that electrons possessed more than classical angular momentum. Among these quantum-mechanical properties were spin and the magnetic moment, whose relevant quanta was named the Bohr Magneton. This experiment aimed to observe the interference patterns of various polarization states of emitted spectral lines from a Fabry-Perot interferometer using 546.1 nm emissions from a mercury lamp within a uniform magnetic field, and to experimentally verify the value of the Bohr Magneton (μB ), whose known value is μB = 9.274 × 10−24 [J/T]. This experiment yielded μBavg = 8.16 × 10−24 ± 0.16 × 10−24 [J/T], a value ≈ 10% different from the standard. Further experimentation would allow for a more precise alignment of the experimental setup, and further trials to reduce uncertainty.
Recommended Citation
Hodges, Gunner W. and Mclain, Anthony J., "Analyzing Quantum Mechanical Properties of Electrons via the Anomalous Zeeman Effect to Verify the Bohr Magneton" (2025). ATU Student Research Symposium. 37.
https://orc.library.atu.edu/atu_rs/2025/2025/37
Analyzing Quantum Mechanical Properties of Electrons via the Anomalous Zeeman Effect to Verify the Bohr Magneton
Face-to-face
At the turn of the 19th century, scientists were gradually realizing that nature did not behave as it had been thought for centuries. Many thought the concrete laws governing nature were soon to be completed. As we now know, their deterministic optimism was far from reality. Electromagnetic theory predicted that the spectral line emissions from a bulb would split into three distinct bands in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. This behavior was proven in what is known as the Normal Zeeman Effect. What was not expected though was the host of extraneous bands that accompanied the predicted triplet of spectra. The Anomalous Zeeman Effect was an early indicator that electrons possessed more than classical angular momentum. Among these quantum-mechanical properties were spin and the magnetic moment, whose relevant quanta was named the Bohr Magneton. This experiment aimed to observe the interference patterns of various polarization states of emitted spectral lines from a Fabry-Perot interferometer using 546.1 nm emissions from a mercury lamp within a uniform magnetic field, and to experimentally verify the value of the Bohr Magneton (μB ), whose known value is μB = 9.274 × 10−24 [J/T]. This experiment yielded μBavg = 8.16 × 10−24 ± 0.16 × 10−24 [J/T], a value ≈ 10% different from the standard. Further experimentation would allow for a more precise alignment of the experimental setup, and further trials to reduce uncertainty.
