
A Simple Quantum System 25
FIGURE 2.8: Successive Stern–Gerlachs in z and x.
FIGURE 2.9: Successive Stern–Gerlachs z, x and z again.
all vertically separated. However, this is finally equivalent to two SG
z
’s one
after the other, and the result should be just two beams vertically separated!
What’s wrong here?
Clearly it is the second scenario that should be experimentally observed,
and indeed is. The conflict between two pictures can be resolved by considering
interference between the beams. The final spot intensity at a point on the
screen is obtained by the square of the superposition of probability amplitudes
of the beams overlapping at that point. The ...