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Zig-zag dynamics in a Stern-Gerlach spin measurement

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Simon Krekels, Christian Maes, Kasper Meerts, Ward Struyve

Quantum Physics · Submitted 22 Nov 2023

abstract compiled · 2026-09-23 · no language-model review

The authors' main claim Our results clarify the different meanings of ``spin'' as a property of the wave function and as a random variable in the Stern-Gerlach setup, and they illustrate the notion of effective collapse.

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arXiv ID2311.13406 (version 2)
Pith IDPQWYAHC3, Pith's permanent record of this paper and its review
CitationChristian Maes, Kasper Meerts, Simon Krekels, Ward Struyve. "Zig-zag dynamics in a Stern-Gerlach spin measurement." arXiv:2311.13406 (2023). https://pith.science/paper/PQWYAHC3
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The paper's own sentences, arranged. Each label is drawn from a closed vocabulary; the number beside it is the probability the classifier gave that label. Numbers in the tables are the authors', checked by code. No sentence in this record was written by a model.

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Compiled by classifier-1.13.0 via TypeSafe API, question bank abstract-p1-20260923, 2026-09-23: 1 request, 6,223 input tokens.

What the abstract itself states, as probabilities: claims first 0.04 · states limitation 0.22 · human participants 0.01 · controlled comparison 0.02 · randomized assignment 0.01 · states quantitative result 0.03 · compares with prior results 0.11 · mentions code or data availability 0.02.

The abstract, sentence by sentence

arXiv listing abstract v2. Results and the main claim are underlined; .

The one-century-old Stern-Gerlach setup is paradigmatic for a quantum measurement. We visualize the electron trajectories following the Bohmian zig-zag dynamics. This dynamics was developed in order to deal with the fundamentally massless nature of particles (with mass emerging from the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism). The corresponding trajectories exhibit a stochastic zig-zagging, as the result of the coupling between left- and right-handed chiral Weyl states. This zig-zagging persists in the nonrelativistic limit, which will be considered here, and which is described by the Pauli equation for a nonuniform external magnetic field. Our results clarify the different meanings of ``spin'' as a property of the wave function and as a random variable in the Stern-Gerlach setup, and they illustrate the notion of effective collapse. We also examine the case of an EPR-pair. By letting one of the entangled particles pass through a Stern-Gerlach device, the nonlocal influence (action-at-a-distance) on the other particle is manifest in its trajectory, e.g. by initiating its zig-zagging.

background contribution method result interpretation main claim

What the classifier reports for each sentence. The number is the probability it gave the label.
#sentencerolethe authors' own workstates the main conclusionstrength
s0 The one-century-old Stern-Gerlach setup is paradigmatic for a quantum measurement. background 1.00 0.03 0.03 asserted 1.00
s1 We visualize the electron trajectories following the Bohmian zig-zag dynamics. contribution 0.88 0.90 0.07 asserted 0.99
s2 This dynamics was developed in order to deal with the fundamentally massless nature of particles (with mass emerging from the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism). background 0.83 0.05 0.03 asserted 1.00
s3 The corresponding trajectories exhibit a stochastic zig-zagging, as the result of the coupling between left- and right-handed chiral Weyl states. result 0.66 0.22 0.09 asserted 1.00
s4 This zig-zagging persists in the nonrelativistic limit, which will be considered here, and which is described by the Pauli equation for a nonuniform external magnetic field. method 0.76 0.29 0.05 asserted 1.00
s5 Our results clarify the different meanings of ``spin'' as a property of the wave function and as a random variable in the Stern-Gerlach setup, and they illustrate the notion of effective collapse. interpretation 0.92 0.89 0.63 asserted 1.00
s6 We also examine the case of an EPR-pair. contribution 0.98 0.78 0.03 asserted 0.74
s7 By letting one of the entangled particles pass through a Stern-Gerlach device, the nonlocal influence (action-at-a-distance) on the other particle is manifest in its trajectory, e.g. by initiating its zig-zagging. result 0.87 0.74 0.18 asserted 0.96

What kind of paper the classifier reports this is: theoretical result 0.69 · evidence from simulation or computation 0.43.

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  • references and citing sentences
  • relations to other papers
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  • P abstract
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  • S sections
  • T body sentences
  • C citations
  • R cross-paper relations

Every quoted sentence on this record is the authors'. Every label is from Pith's closed vocabulary, with the probability shown beside it. Every number in the measurements table is the authors', checked by code. Record as JSON

The paper
Original abstract

The one-century-old Stern-Gerlach setup is paradigmatic for a quantum measurement. We visualize the electron trajectories following the Bohmian zig-zag dynamics. This dynamics was developed in order to deal with the fundamentally massless nature of particles (with mass emerging from the Brout-Englert-Higgs mechanism). The corresponding trajectories exhibit a stochastic zig-zagging, as the result of the coupling between left- and right-handed chiral Weyl states. This zig-zagging persists in the nonrelativistic limit, which will be considered here, and which is described by the Pauli equation for a nonuniform external magnetic field. Our results clarify the different meanings of ``spin'' as a property of the wave function and as a random variable in the Stern-Gerlach setup, and they illustrate the notion of effective collapse. We also examine the case of an EPR-pair. By letting one of the entangled particles pass through a Stern-Gerlach device, the nonlocal influence (action-at-a-distance) on the other particle is manifest in its trajectory, e.g. by initiating its zig-zagging.

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