Molecular Beams in Physics and Chemistry: From Otto Stern's Pioneering Exploits to Present-Day Feats

This Open Access book gives a comprehensive account of both the history and current achievements of molecular beam research.

In 1919, Otto Stern launched the revolutionary molecular beam technique. This technique made it possible to send atoms and molecules with well-defined momentum through vacuum and to measure with high accuracy the deflections they underwent when acted upon by transversal forces. These measurements revealed unforeseen quantum properties of nuclei, atoms, and molecules...