Simulation of atom trajectories in the original Stern–Gerlach experiment

Abstract Following a comprehensive analysis of the historical literature, we model the geometry of the Stern–Gerlach experiment to numerically calculate the magnetic field using the finite-element method. Using this calculated field and Monte Carlo methods, the semiclassical atomic translational dynamics are simulated to produce the well-known quantized end-pattern with matching dimensions. The finite-element method used provides the most accurate description of the Stern–Gerlach magnetic field and end-pattern in the literature, matching the historically reported values and figures.