Boson

The wavefimction of a system must be antisynnnetric with respect to interchange of the coordinates of identical particles y and 8 if they are fermions, and symmetric with respect to interchange of y and 5 if they are bosons. 

Electrons, protons and neutrons and all other particles that have s = are known as fennions. Other particles are restricted to s = 0 or 1 and are known as bosons. There are thus profound differences in the quantum-mechanical properties of fennions and bosons, which have important implications in fields ranging from statistical mechanics to spectroscopic selection mles. It can be shown that the spin quantum number S associated with an even number of fennions must be integral, while that for an odd number of them must be half-integral. The resulting composite particles behave collectively like bosons and fennions, respectively, so the wavefunction synnnetry properties associated with bosons can be relevant in chemical physics. One prominent example is the treatment of nuclei, which are typically considered as composite particles rather than interacting protons and neutrons. Nuclei with even atomic number tlierefore behave like individual bosons and those with odd atomic number as fennions, a distinction that plays an important role in rotational spectroscopy of polyatomic molecules. 

The state F) is such that the particle states a, b, c,..., q are occupied and each particle is equally likely to be in any one of the particle states. However, if two of the particle states a, b, c,...,q are the same then F) vanishes it does not correspond to an allowed state of the assembly. This is a characteristic of antisynmietric states and it is called the Pauli exclusion principle no two identical fennions can be in the same particle state. The general fimction for an assembly of bosons is... 

The integral cross section boson-boson collisions is... 

Symmetry oscillations therefore appear in die differential cross sections for femiion-femiion and boson-boson scattering. They originate from the interference between imscattered mcident particles in the forward (0 = 0) direction and backward scattered particles (0 = 7t, 0). A general differential cross section for scattering... 

For femiions (especially) and bosons diere are additional problems. Let /Jbe one of the pemuitations of particle labels. Then the femiion density matrix has the symmetry... 

It is necessary to sum over these pemuitations in a path integral simulation. (The same sum is needed for bosons, without the sign factor.) For femiions, odd pemuitations contribute with negative weight. Near-cancelling positive and negative pemuitations constitute a major practical problem [196]. 

Since the total wave function must have the correct symmetry under the permutation of identical nuclei, we can determine the symmetiy of the rovi-bronic wave function from consideration of the corresponding symmetry of the nuclear spin function. We begin by looking at the case of a fermionic system for which the total wave function must be antisynmiebic under permutation of any two identical particles. If the nuclear spin function is symmetric then the rovibronic wave function must be antisymmetric conversely, if the nuclear spin function is antisymmebic, the rovibronic wave function must be symmetric under permutation of any two fermions. Similar considerations apply to bosonic systems The rovibronic wave function must be symmetric when the nuclear spin function is symmetric, and the rovibronic wave function must be antisymmetiic when the nuclear spin function is antisymmetric. This warrants... 

As was shown in the preceding discussion (see also Sections Vin and IX), the rovibronic wave functions for a homonuclear diatomic molecule under the permutation of identical nuclei are symmetric for even J rotational quantum numbers in and E electronic states antisymmeUic for odd J values in and E elecbonic states symmetric for odd J values in E and E electronic states and antisymmeteic for even J values in Ej and E+ electeonic states. Note that the vibrational ground state is symmetric under pemrutation of the two nuclei. The most restrictive result arises therefore when the nuclear spin quantum number of the individual nuclei is 0. In this case, the nuclear spin function is always symmetric with respect to interchange of the identical nuclei, and hence only totally symmeUic rovibronic states are allowed since the total wave function must be symmetric for bosonic systems. For example, the nucleus has zero nuclear spin, and hence the rotational levels with odd values of J do not exist for the ground electronic state f EJ") of Cr. 

Strangely enough, the universe appears to be eomprised of only two kinds of paitieles, bosons and fermions. Bosons are symmetrical under exehange, and fermions are antisymmetrieal under exehange. This bit of abstiaet physies relates to our quantum moleeular problems beeause eleetions are femiions. 

The first allowable equation holds for bosons, and the second holds for femiions. If we form a linear combination of wave functions for bosons. 

Beeause Pij obeys Pij Pij = 1, the eigenvalues of the Pij operators must be +1 or -1. Eleetrons are Fermions (i.e., they have half-integral spin), and they have wavefunetions whieh are odd under permutation of any pair Pij P = - P. Bosons sueh as photons or deuterium nuelei (i.e., speeies with integral spin quantum numbers) have wavefunetions whieh obey Pij P = + P. 

Only integer and half-interger values ean range from j to -j in steps of unity. Speeies with integer spin are known as Bosons and those with half-integer spin are ealled Fermions. 

Boltzmann distribution statistical distribution of how many systems will be in various energy states when the system is at a given temperature Born-Oppenbeimer approximation assumption that the motion of electrons is independent of the motion of nuclei boson a fundamental particle with an integer spin... 

The most general statement of the Pauli principle for electrons and other fermions is that the total wave function must be antisymmetric to electron (or fermion) exchange. For bosons it must be symmetric to exchange. 

Bose-Einstein statistics Bose-Einstein systems Boson Bosons... 

Liquid Helium-4. Quantum mechanics defines two fundamentally different types of particles bosons, which have no unpaired quantum spins, and fermions, which do have unpaired spins. Bosons are governed by Bose-Einstein statistics which, at sufficiently low temperatures, allow the particles to coUect into a low energy quantum level, the so-called Bose-Einstein condensation. Fermions, which include electrons, protons, and neutrons, are governed by Fermi-DHac statistics which forbid any two particles to occupy exactly the same quantum state and thus forbid any analogue of Bose-Einstein condensation. Atoms may be thought of as assembHes of fermions only, but can behave as either fermions or bosons. If the total number of electrons, protons, and neutrons is odd, the atom is a fermion if it is even, the atom is a boson. 

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