Walther Gerlach

Walther Gerlach was a German physicist renowned for his 1922 experiment demonstrating the quantization of atomic magnetic moments. In this experiment, a beam of silver atoms was passed through a magnetic field, causing the atoms to split into separate paths rather than spreading out evenly. This result provided clear evidence that atomic properties, such as magnetic moments, are quantized—meaning they take on specific, discrete values rather than any value. Gerlach's work was fundamental in supporting the development of quantum mechanics, helping scientists understand the microscopic behavior of atoms and subatomic particles.