MadSci Network: Chemistry |
The Pauli exclusion principle asserts that the total electron wave function is antisymmetric (equivalently, only two electrons, with opposite spins, can occupy the same orbital). But suppose I have two separate hydrogen atoms and let them interact to form a hydrogen molecule. At what point does the wave function become antisymmetric? The permutation group is discrete, so becoming antisymmetric is an all-or-none process, inconsistent with "intermediate excited states" and the like while the molecule is forming. It seems to be necessary to suppose that the electron wave function is antisymmetric even before the two atoms interact, but no chemist would believe this. For one thing, it flies in the face of any notion of electron localization.
Re: Pauli Exclusion Principle inconsistent with electron localization
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