Identical particles Identical particles Identical particles, also called indistinguishable or indiscernible particles, are particles that cannot be distinguished from one another, even in principle. Species of identical particles include, but are not limited to elementary particles such as electrons, composite subatomic particles such as atomic nuclei, as well as atoms and molecules. Quasiparticles also behave in this way. Although all known indistinguishable particles are "tiny", there is no exhaustive list of all possible sorts of particles nor a clear-cut limit of applicability, as explored in quantum statistics. There are two main categories of identical particles: bosons, which can share quantum states, and
Electron affinity Electron affinity In chemistry and atomic physics, the electron affinity ("E") of an atom or molecule is defined as the amount of energy "released" or "spent" when an electron is added to a neutral atom or molecule in the gaseous state to form a negative ion. In solid state physics, the electron affinity for a surface is defined somewhat differently (see below). This property is measured for atoms and molecules in the gaseous state only, since in a solid or liquid state their energy levels would be changed by contact with other atoms or molecules. A list of the electron