The “spin” of an electron or other fundamental particle is often described as “intrinsic angular momentum”. This terminology is required because a point particle or Planck length vibrating string cannot possess ½ ħ of angular momentum. Larger objects such as molecules or electrons in atomic orbitals possess quantized angular momentum which can be demonstrated to involve physical rotation. For example, a carbon monoxide molecule in a vacuum can only rotate at integer multiples of 115 GHz which is integer multiples of ½ ħ. Therefore, do you believe that fundamental particles have a physical angular momentum that is currently not understood? Alternatively, is "intrinsic angular momentum" an accurate description of spin because it is a quantum mechanical property that does not involve physical rotation?

More John A. Macken's questions See All
Similar questions and discussions