Interference Measurements of Non-Abelian e/4 & Abelian e/2 Quasiparticle Braiding

Autor: R. L. Willett, K. Shtengel, C. Nayak, L. N. Pfeiffer, Y. J. Chung, M. L. Peabody, K. W. Baldwin, K. W. West
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2023
Předmět:
Zdroj: Physical Review X, Vol 13, Iss 1, p 011028 (2023)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2160-3308
DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevX.13.011028
Popis: The quantum Hall states at filling factors ν=5/2 and 7/2 are expected to have Abelian charge-e/2 quasiparticles and non-Abelian charge-e/4 quasiparticles. The non-Abelian statistics of the latter is predicted to display a striking interferometric signature, the even-odd effect. By measuring resistance oscillations as a function of the magnetic field in Fabry-Pérot interferometers using new high-purity heterostructures, we for the first time report experimental evidence for the non-Abelian nature of excitations at ν=7/2. At both ν=5/2 and 7/2, we also examine, for the first time, the fermion parity, a topological quantum number of an even number of non-Abelian quasiparticles. The phase of observed e/4 oscillations is reproducible and stable over long times (hours) near both filling factors, indicating stability of the fermion parity. At both fractions, when phase fluctuations are observed, they are predominantly π phase flips, consistent with either fermion parity change or change in the number of the enclosed e/4 quasiparticles. We also examine lower-frequency oscillations attributable to Abelian interference processes in both states. Taken together, these results constitute new evidence for the non-Abelian nature of e/4 quasiparticles; the observed lifetime of their combined fermion parity further strengthens the case for their utility for topological quantum computation.
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