Bohr magneton

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In atomic physics, the Bohr magneton (symbol μB) is named after the physicist Niels Bohr. It is a physical constant of magnetic moment, defined in SI units by

\mu_\mathrm{B} = {{e \hbar} \over {2 m_\mathrm{e}}}

and in Gaussian centimeter-gram-second units by

\mu_\mathrm{B} = {{e \hbar} \over {2 m_\mathrm{e} c}}

where

e is the elementary charge,
\hbar is the reduced Planck's constant,
me is the electron rest mass
c is the speed of light.

In the SI system of units its value is

μB = 9.274 009 49(80) × 10-24 J•T-1.

In the eV system of units its value is

μB = 5.7883 × 10-5 eV•T-1.

In the CGS system of units its value is

μB = 0.927 × 10-20 Erg•Oe-1 [1]

The Bohr magneton is the natural unit for expressing the electron magnetic dipole moment in the hydrogen atom. It was first calculated by Romanian physicist Stefan Procopiu around 1910 and in some Romanian literature is called the Bohr-Procopiu Magneton. An electron has an intrinsic magnetic dipole moment of approximately one Bohr magneton.[2]


[edit] References

  1. ^ Robert C. O'Handley (2000). Modern magnetic materials: principles and applications. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 0-471-15566-7 page 83
  2. ^ A. Mahajan and A. Rangwala. Electricity and Magnetism, p. 419 (1989). Via Google Books.

[edit] See also