Should liquid helium at 4 K be treated as indistinguishable particles?

[glebovg]

Homework Statement

a) Should liquid water at room temperature be treated as indistinguishable particles?
b) Should liquid helium at 4 K be treated as indistinguishable particles?

The attempt at a solution

Composite particles made up of spin 1/2 particles such as atoms made up of neutrons, protons, and electrons, are boson if they contain an even number of 1/2 particles, and fermions if they contain an odd number of 1/2 particles.

Is this correct?

a) Water has 10 electrons so it behaves like a boson, so it can be treated as indistinguishable particles and the spin of particles in the nucleus does not contribute.
b) Helium has 2 electrons so the net spin is 0. It behaves like a boson, and the spin of the particles in the nucleus does not contribute. So it can be treated as indistinguishable particles.

 

[mark726]

I would say that it is generally acceptable to treat liquid water at room temperature as indistinguishable particles. This is because at room temperature, the particles in water are constantly moving and interacting with each other, making it difficult to distinguish between individual particles. Additionally, the spin of particles in the nucleus does not have a significant effect on the overall behavior of liquid water.

As for liquid helium at 4 K, it is also acceptable to treat it as indistinguishable particles. This is because at such low temperatures, the particles in helium are in a highly ordered state and do not interact with each other as much as particles in liquid water. However, the behavior of helium may deviate from that of a classical ideal gas due to quantum effects, so it is important to take this into consideration when studying its properties.

In conclusion, while it is generally acceptable to treat liquid water and helium as indistinguishable particles, it is important to consider the specific conditions and properties of these substances when making such assumptions.