Rabi's most important scientific work was his development (in the 1930s)
of a method for measuring the magnetic properties of atoms, atomic nuclei,
and molecules. The method is based on measuring the spin of the protons
in the atom's core, a phenomenon known as nuclear magnetic moments.
With the application of his magnetic resonance method, several mechanical
and magnetic properties, as well as the shape, of an atomic nucleus
can be deduced. The precise measurements yielded by this method made
possible such subsequent applications as the atomic clock, the maser,
and the laser, as well as the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging used
in diagnostic medicine. Rabi's method provided the central technique
for virtually all molecular and atomic beam experimentation.
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