  We relate the notion of entanglement for quantum systems composed of two
identical constituents to the impossibility of attributing a complete set of
properties to both particles. This implies definite constraints on the
mathematical form of the state vector associated with the whole system. We then
analyze separately the cases of fermion and boson systems, and we show how the
consideration of both the Slater-Schmidt number of the fermionic and bosonic
analog of the Schmidt decomposition of the global state vector and the von
Neumann entropy of the one-particle reduced density operators can supply us
with a consistent criterion for detecting entanglement. In particular, the
consideration of the von Neumann entropy is particularly useful in deciding
whether the correlations of the considered states are simply due to the
indistinguishability of the particles involved or are a genuine manifestation
of the entanglement. The treatment leads to a full clarification of the subtle
aspects of entanglement of two identical constituents which have been a source
of embarrassment and of serious misunderstandings in the recent literature.
