In
theoretical physics, a 'singlet' usually refers to a one-dimensional representation (e.g. a particle with vanishing
spin). It may also refer to two or more particles prepared in a correlated state, such that the total angular momentum of the state is zero.
Singlets frequently occur in
atomic physics as one of the two ways in which the spin of two
electrons can be combined; the other being a
triplet. A single electron has spin 1/2, and transforms as a
doublet, that is, as the
fundamental representation of the
rotation group SU(2). The product of two doublet representations can be decomposed into the sum of the
adjoint representation (the triplet) and the
trivial representation, the singlet. More prosaically, a pair of electron spins can be combined to form a state of total spin 1 and a state of spin 0.
The singlet state formed from a pair of electrons has many peculiar properties, and plays a fundamental role in the
EPR paradox and
quantum entanglement.
In
Dirac notation this EPR state is usually represented as:
:
See also
★
Doublet
★
Spin Triplet