Reply to "Non-relativistic proofs of the spin-statistics connection," by Shaji and Sudarshan

Abstract

I earlier proved under stated assumptions of nonrelativistic quantum mechanics, that identical spin-zero particles with no internal degrees of freedom must be bosons. Shaji and Sudarshan have criticized that proof, asserting that it is "based on single-valuedness under rotation of the wave functions of systems of identical particles." No such assumption was used. Here, to remove all doubt, I exclude the fermion possibility through a proof in which even the existence of rotation is not used. Following that, I assume that the Hilbert space is invariant under rotation to exclude other symmetries which correspond neither to bosons nor to fermions. In that proof no issue of single-valuedness can arise.