WH Statistics: Generalized Pauli Principle for Partially Distinguishable Particles
Wang Hao, Meng Yancen, Zhang Kuang +1 more
Traditional statistical mechanics is constrained by the binary paradigms of identical/distinguishable and bosonic/fermionic particle statistics, leading to a fundamental logical gap in describing systems with partial distinguishability. We propose WH Statistics, a unified theoretical framework governed by three key parameters: continuous distinguishability λ, exclusion weight \k{appa}, and intrinsic exclusivity γ. By deriving the microstate count and entropy, we show that this framework naturally recovers the Bose-Einstein, Fermi-Dirac, and Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics, while also incorporating anyons and the classical hard-core (Langmuir) limit. We introduce a class of generalized quasiparticles, termed WHons, which exhibit exotic physical phenomena including non-monotonic degeneracy pressure peaks, Schottky-like specific heat anomalies, and tunable interference effects, driven by the interplay between fractional distinguishability and exclusion. This framework bridges the century-old discontinuity between quantum and classical exclusion principles, providing a powerful tool for investigating strongly correlated systems and programmable quantum matter.
arXiv:2601.12838•Jan 19, 2026•0 citations