Detecting hidden differences via permutation symmetries

We present a method for describing and characterizing the state of N particles that may be distinguishable in principle but not in practice due to experimental limitations. The technique relies upon a careful treatment of the exchange symmetry of the state among experimentally accessible and experimentally inaccessible degrees of freedom. The approach we present allows a formalization of the notion of indistinguishability and can be implemented easily using currently available experimental techniques. Our work is of direct relevance to current experiments in quantum optics, for which we provide a specific implementation.