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Why should the Pauli principle *not* be considered itself to be
the equivalent of a "fifth force"?
Most sources explain the origin of degeneracy pressure along
something like these lines: Fermions cannot occupy the same
quantum state. Thus, as the spatial extent of their wavefunctions
become more and more similar, they are forced to occupy higher
energy levels.
This is equivalent to the effects of a repulsive
force.
... the effect is at least *seemingly* independent of
whether or not the particles interact in any other way--i.e., via
the strong, electroweak, or gravitational mechanisms.
Now it is
true that all fermions *do* interact by at least one of these
mechanisms, but *is* this a requirement for fermions?
... if not, how would we explain the existence of
degeneracy pressure in the case of two noninteracting fermions?