  It has become common practice to model large spin ensembles as an effective
pseudospin with total angular momentum J = N x j, where j is the spin per
particle. Such approaches (at least implicitly) restrict the quantum state of
the ensemble to the so-called symmetric Hilbert space. Here, we argue that
symmetric states are not generally well-preserved under the type of decoherence
typical of experiments involving large clouds of atoms or ions. In particular,
symmetric states are rapidly degraded under models of decoherence that act
identically but locally on the different members of the ensemble. Using an
approach [Phys. Rev. A 78, 052101 (2008)] that is not limited to the symmetric
Hilbert space, we explore potential pitfalls in the design and interpretation
of experiments on spin-squeezing and collective atomic phenomena when the
properties of the symmetric states are extended to systems where they do not
apply.
