Talk:Triplet
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[edit] Quantum Mechanical Triplet
I want to get this right. I'll mostly ignore the unproductive inflamatory comments (Confused? How about Insulting!).
As is, the description of a triplet in quantum mechanics is not general enough. A triplet state doesn't have to be derived from two fermions. In the oxygen molecule, for example, there are 16 electrons making up the triplet ground state. Many other atoms or molecules have spin triplets, and only a few (hydrogen molecule and helium-like atoms) have exactly two electrons. Also, the W and Z bosons have spin 1 and exist in spin triplets by themselves.
So I suggest, the following wording as an evolution of the current description:
- in quantum mechanics, a spin triplet is a set of three quantum states of a system, each with total spin S = 1.
It still doesn't mention the difference between the three states of a triplet, only the similarities.
--Snags 15:36, 4 Jan 2005 (UTC)
