Symmetrizing The Symmetrization Postulate

Abstract

Reasonable requirements of (a) physical invariance under particle permutation and (b) physical completeness of state descriptions, enable us to deduce a Symmetric Permutation Rule(SPR): that by taking care with our state descriptions, it is always possible to construct state vectors (or wave functions) that are purely symmetric under pure permutation for all particles, regardless of type distinguishability or spin. The conventional exchange antisymmetry for two identical half-integer spin particles is shown to be due to a subtle interdependence in the individual state descriptions arising from an inherent geometrical asymmetry. For three or more such particles, however, antisymmetrization of the state vector for all pairs simultaneously is shown to be impossible and the SPR makes observably different predictions, although the usual pairwise exclusion rules are maintained. The usual caveat of fermion antisymmetrization - that composite integer spin particles (with fermionic consitituents) behave only approximately like bosons - is no longer necessary.