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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 February 2012
It is shown that, from an operational point of view, the production and detection of spin-polarised electrons by Mott scattering is equivalent to the performance of a Stern-Gerlach type experiment with heavy spin-one-half particles. The argument is based on standard quantum mechanical formalism using density matrices and Stokes vectors for the description of polarised assemblies of particles.