When one applies an external field to a free La atom, the m_J degeneracy is lifted. When this atom absorbs a microwave photon satisfying the EPR condition, the total magnetic moment J of this system (electron cloud) will be flipped with respect to the z direction axis (B_0 is the external field ordering the spins).
Regarding the EPR rules, the absolute value of the m_J might change by 1.
|m_J | = 1