Quantum-mechanical Spins Program

Part of the Collection of OSP-based Programs and Curricular Materials for Advanced Physics

The OSP Spins program can be configured to show user-created quantum-mechanical spin experiments.  These configurations can be saved in xml files and then loaded as shown in this example. 

Double-click the green arrow in the navigation page.  The Spins Custom Configuration node shows an experiment where the oven produces a particular, pre-programmed, superposition of spin-1 eigenstates.  This can be done in either the x, y, or z basis.  Here we have chosen the z basis and the state made up of 25% up, 50% up zero, and 25% down (= (1/2)[z+> + √2|z0> + |z−>]).  In general, ANY configuration can be saved: spin-1/2, spin-1 or SU(3), multiple ideal analyzers, initial superpositions, interferometers, etc.  The blue analyzer's orientation can be changed by clicking it.