Slater determinant

noun

An expression that describes the wavefunction of a multifermionic system. It satisfies antisymmetry requirements, and consequently the Pauli exclusion principle, by changing sign upon exchange of two electrons (or other fermions).

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Meanings

nounSlater determinant (plural Slater determinants)

plural Slater determinants

  1. quantum mechanicsAn expression that describes the wavefunction of a multifermionic system. It satisfies antisymmetry requirements, and consequently the Pauli exclusion principle, by changing sign upon exchange of two electrons (or other fermions).

Origin

Named after John C. Slater, who introduced the determinant in 1929 as a means of ensuring the antisymmetry of a many-electron wavefunction, although the wavefunction in the determinant form first appeared independently in Heisenberg's and Dirac's articles three years earlier.

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Cite this entry
APA

Slater determinant. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Slater%20determinant

MLA

“Slater determinant.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Slater%20determinant. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Slater determinant,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Slater%20determinant.

Source: Slater determinant on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.