Why a particle with spin=0 can't posses a magnetic dipole moment?

In summary, a spin-0 particle cannot have a magnetic dipole moment because it cannot have an intrinsic magnetic moment.
  • #1
happyparticle
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Homework Statement
Why a particle with spin=0 can't posses a dipole moment?
Relevant Equations
##\langle j'|| \vec{J}|| j \rangle = \hbar \sqrt{j(j+1)} \delta_{jj'}##
Hi,
I would like to know why a particle with spin=0 can't posses a magnetic dipole moment?

Using Wigner-Eckart theorem for ##\langle j,1,m,0|j,m \rangle## I get ##\langle j'|| \vec{J}|| j \rangle = \hbar \sqrt{j(j+1)} \delta_{jj'}##

It seems like the right hand side is the magnetic dipole moment. Thus, j must be 0 for a particle with spin =0.

However, I'm not so sure to understand what j means.
I'll try to explain what I understand.
##\vec{J}## is the total angular momentum and ##\vec{J} = \vec{L} + \vec{S}##, where ##\vec{S}## is the spin.
Furthermore, we have 2 systems (2 particles) ##\langle j'|| \vec{J}|| j \rangle = \hbar \sqrt{j(j+1)} \delta_{jj'}##
where ##j_1 = j, j_2 = 1 , m_1 = m, m_2 =0## and ##j = j_1 + j_2, m = m_1 + m_2##

Are ##j_1, j_2## the total angular momentums for each particle and what exactly are ## m_1, m_2##? Are they quantum number ##m_s## ?

If the spin of the particle is null then ##\vec{S} = 0## which mean ##\vec{J} = \vec{L}##

This is all I know. I can't show that j=0.

I hope this is clear...

thank you
 
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  • #2
happyparticle said:
Homework Statement:: Why a particle with spin=0 can't posses a dipole moment?
Relevant Equations:: ##\langle j'|| \vec{J}|| j \rangle = \hbar \sqrt{j(j+1)} \delta_{jj'}##

Hi,
I would like to know why a particle with spin=0 can't posses a magnetic dipole moment?

Using Wigner-Eckart theorem for ##\langle j,1,m,0|j,m \rangle## I get ##\langle j'|| \vec{J}|| j \rangle = \hbar \sqrt{j(j+1)} \delta_{jj'}##

It seems like the right hand side is the magnetic dipole moment. Thus, j must be 0 for a particle with spin =0.

However, I'm not so sure to understand what j means.
I'll try to explain what I understand.
##\vec{J}## is the total angular momentum and ##\vec{J} = \vec{L} + \vec{S}##, where ##\vec{S}## is the spin.
Furthermore, we have 2 systems (2 particles) ##\langle j'|| \vec{J}|| j \rangle = \hbar \sqrt{j(j+1)} \delta_{jj'}##
where ##j_1 = j, j_2 = 1 , m_1 = m, m_2 =0## and ##j = j_1 + j_2, m = m_1 + m_2##

Are ##j_1, j_2## the total angular momentums for each particle and what exactly are ## m_1, m_2##? Are they quantum number ##m_s## ?

If the spin of the particle is null then ##\vec{S} = 0## which mean ##\vec{J} = \vec{L}##

This is all I know. I can't show that j=0.

I hope this is clear...

thank you
Who told you that a spin 0 particle could not have a magnetic moment? It cannot have a spin magnetic moment (intrinsic magnetic moment) but, as you showed above, it can have an orbital magnetic moment.

-Dan
 
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  • #3
Why exactly it cannot have a spin magnetic moment?

Can I show it from ##
\langle j'|| \vec{J}|| j \rangle = \hbar \sqrt{j(j+1)} \delta_{jj'}
## ?
 
  • #4
happyparticle said:
Why exactly it cannot have a spin magnetic moment?

Can I show it from ##
\langle j'|| \vec{J}|| j \rangle = \hbar \sqrt{j(j+1)} \delta_{jj'}
## ?
Because s = 0...

-Dan
 
  • #5
I mean, is it a relationship between s and j ?
 
  • #6
happyparticle said:
I mean, is it a relationship between s and j ?
## j = l + s##
 
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  • #7
happyparticle said:
I mean, is it a relationship between s and j ?
The spin magnetic moment of a particle is given by
##\boldsymbol{ \mu } = g \dfrac{e}{2 m} \textbf{S}##

If s = 0 then ##\boldsymbol{ \mu } \mid \psi \rangle = g \dfrac{e}{2 m} \textbf{S} \mid \psi \rangle = \textbf{0} \mid \psi \rangle##

-Dan
 
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  • #8
Ah I see. I thought that S was the eigenvector and the eigenvalue wasn't necessarily s. thus if s=0 then S wasn't necessarily 0. I think that as usual I had misunderstood.
Thank you
 
  • #9
happyparticle said:
Ah I see. I thought that S was the eigenvector and the eigenvalue wasn't necessarily s. thus if s=0 then S wasn't necessarily 0. I think that as usual I had misunderstood.
Thank you
I can't make any sense of this. Are you sure you understand the concepts of operators, eigenvectors and eigenvalues.
 
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  • #10
I thought so, but now you make me doubt.
 
  • #11
happyparticle said:
I mean, is it a relationship between s and j ?
You wrote it in the original post
 
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  • #12
malawi_glenn said:
You wrote it in the original post
I was replying to topsquark. I meant if s = 0 why j is automatically 0, that kind of relation.
 
  • #13
happyparticle said:
I was replying to topsquark. I meant if s = 0 why j is automatically 0, that kind of relation.
I never said j = 0 because s = 0. j = l + s. If s = 0 then j = l. If l is not zero then the state has an angular magnetic moment, just not a spin angular magnetic moment. Only if j = 0 does the state have no angular magnetic moment.

-Dan
 
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  • #14
happyparticle said:
I would like to know why a particle with spin=0 can't posses a magnetic dipole moment?
When I first saw this question, I thought it was about a free particle with zero spin. Then @happyparticle brought in the Wigner-Eckart theorem stated talking about orbital angular momentum. Orbital angular momentum presupposes a nucleus which the supposedly zero-spin particle must be orbiting. ##\mathbf{S}## as in ##\mathbf{J}=\mathbf{L}+\mathbf{S}## is the total spin in a many-electron atom and ##\mathbf{S}=0## has nothing to do with a particle with spin = 0 in the original question.

I think the simplest answer to the original question is that spin is an intrinsic property of particles and so is the magnetic moment associated with the spin of the particle. Asking why a particle with zero spin has no magnetic moment is like asking why a bald man has no hair on his head.
 
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  • #15
Tell me. If S=0, in what direction does the magnetic moment point?
 
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  • #16
Vanadium 50 said:
Tell me. If S=0, in what direction does the magnetic moment point?
If a man is bald, what color is his hair?
 
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  • #17
kuruman said:
If a man is bald, what color is his hair?
Fish.

-Dan
 
  • #18
Something is fishy here. Let's lock the thread for a while until the smell dissipates....
 
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FAQ: Why a particle with spin=0 can't posses a magnetic dipole moment?

Why can't a spin-0 particle have a magnetic dipole moment?

A magnetic dipole moment arises from the intrinsic spin of a particle and its charge. For a particle with spin-0, there is no intrinsic angular momentum to generate a magnetic dipole moment. Thus, it cannot possess a magnetic dipole moment.

What is the relationship between spin and magnetic dipole moment?

The magnetic dipole moment of a particle is generally proportional to its spin and charge. Particles with non-zero spin can align their spin with a magnetic field, creating a magnetic dipole moment. Spin-0 particles lack this intrinsic angular momentum, and therefore cannot have a magnetic dipole moment.

Can external factors induce a magnetic dipole moment in a spin-0 particle?

No, external factors cannot induce a magnetic dipole moment in a spin-0 particle because the particle lacks the intrinsic angular momentum necessary to interact with a magnetic field in a way that would produce a dipole moment.

Are there any exceptions to the rule that spin-0 particles can't have a magnetic dipole moment?

In the standard model of particle physics, there are no exceptions to this rule. A spin-0 particle inherently lacks the necessary properties (intrinsic angular momentum) to possess a magnetic dipole moment.

How does the lack of a magnetic dipole moment affect the behavior of spin-0 particles in a magnetic field?

Since spin-0 particles do not have a magnetic dipole moment, they do not experience the torque that particles with magnetic dipole moments do in a magnetic field. This means they are not influenced by the magnetic field in the same way and do not align or interact with the field through magnetic dipole interactions.

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