Fermionic atom (source code)

= Fermionic atom
{tag=Fermion}

A <fermionic atom> is an <atom> whose total <quantum state> has half-integer <angular momentum> and obeys <Fermi-Dirac statistics> as a composite particle. Counting the parity of its fermionic constituents distinguishes fermionic and bosonic isotopes when the <atom> remains intact.

For example, neutral lithium-6 is fermionic, while lithium-7 is bosonic. Identical <fermionic atoms> in the same internal state have <antisymmetric exchange> <symmetry>, constraining their allowed low-energy collision states. The label concerns the complete <atom>'s exchange behavior, not whether each of its constituent particles is a fermion.