Stern-Gerlach dynamics of magnetic clusters

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Abstract
A classical theory of the deflection of a single-domain ferromagnetic cluster in a Stern-Gerlach experiment is presented. Two cases are discussed in detail: (1) superparamagnetic relaxation, in which the thermal fluctuation of the cluster spin occurs on a time scale much smaller than the transit time of the cluster through the Stern-Gerlach apparatus; and (2) anisotropy-induced relaxation, in which the cluster is sufficiently isolated from the thermal bath during its transit through the apparatus so that its dynamics is governed by the interaction of the cluster spin with the anisotropic magnetic forces caused by the lattice and the shape of the cluster. Average spin orientation and average spin rocking during transit, as well as Stern-Gerlach intensity profiles, are presented.

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