Spin (physics)

In physics, spin is an intrinsic angular momentum associated with microscopic particles. It is a purely quantum mechanical phenomenon without any analogy in classical mechanics. Whereas classical angular momentum arises from the rotation of an extended object, spin is not associated with any rotating internal masses, but is intrinsic to the particle itself. Elementary particles such as the electron can have non-zero spin, even though they are believed to be point particles possessing no internal structure. The concept of spin was introduced in 1925 by Ralph Kronig, and independently by George Uhlenbeck and Samuel Goudsmit.

Applications

Well established applications of spin are Magnetic Resonance Imaging or MRI, and GMR drive head technology in modern hard disks.

Related Topics:
MRI - GMR drive head - Hard disk

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A possible application of spin is as a binary information carrier in spin transistors. Electronics based on spin transistors is called spintronics.

Related Topics:
Spin transistor - Spintronics

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~