Anyons and fractional quantum hall

effect
CMT Term Paper

Anish Acharya

Instructor
Prof. Rajdeep Sensarma, DTP

Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai

December 11, 2022

1/17
Plan of the talk

Motivation

Exchange Statistics

A Physical Model for Anyons

Detection and Experiment

Summary and Conclusion

2/17
Motivation
Why should we care about Anyons?

▶ Anyons: obey ‘any’ statistics

▶ New kind of excitations beyond fermionic and bosonic ones

▶ Whole new branch to explore

▶ Not just theoretical Manifest; explains Fractional quantum

hall effect

3/17
Development Timeline

4/17
Exchange Statistics

(b) γ1
(a) A spans a
continuously
loop around B
deforms to γ2

Figure: In 2d the two paths γ1 and γ2 are topologically distinct

5/17
3+1 Dimension

(a) direct (b) exchange

probability amplitude from one space-time point to another

X iS
A= e
allpaths

Introduce a phase ϕ between 2 classes of paths

X iS X
→ r1′ (t2 ), r2′ (t2 ) = e + eiϕ eiS


A[ r1 (t1 ), r2 (t1 ) −
direct exchange

→ e2iϕ = 1 ⇒ fermionic (ϕ = π) and bosonic (ϕ = 0)

Exchanging twice −
statistics 1

1
S. Rao 6/17
2+1 Dimension: Anyons emerge

(a) direct path (b) exchange (1) (c) exchange(2)

einϕ ̸= 1

X X X
A= eiS + eiϕ eiS + e2iϕ eiS + ....
direct 1 exchange 2 exchanges

other than 0, π, ϕ can be anything for any n windings.

‘Any’ statistics possible. In 2d, fermions and bosons are special kinds of
anyons.
7/17
Fractional Quantum Hall Effect

Figure: plateaus at fractional filling factors

Key difference from IQHE :
2
▶ ν is fraction in σh = νeh
▶ Collective and many body effect
▶ e-e interaction plays a role along with present disorder in the system
▶ Appropriate Hamiltonian for FQHE :
N 
(pi − eA i 2

X
c
) 1X
H= + v(ri ) + V (ri − rj )
i=1
2m 2 i<j

Can’t be solved exactly. Laughlin gave a seminal contribution to deal with

this problem which uses fundamental concept of anyons. 8/17
Laughlin’s Treatment
2 particle wave function in lowest landau level
2
+|z1 |2 )/4l2
ψ ∼ (z1 − z2 )m (z1 + z2 )M e−(|z1 | b

m being the relative angular momentum and M being the angular

momentum of centre of mass
Laughlin postulated the following form of the trial wave function for FQHE
1
ground state with ν = m
|zi |2 /4l2
Y P
ψ(zi ) = Nm (zi − zj )m e− i b

i<j

▶ anti symmetric or symmetric in terms of odd or even m

▶ The trial wave function is numerically excellent and effective in a
small range of interaction
▶ Exact ground state for infinitely short-range potential

9/17
Plasma Analogy
It’s hard to compute expectation values using the Laughlin wavefunction.
|ψm |2 can be treated as a pdf of a classical statistical mechanics problem.
To obtain |ψm |2 = e−Φ
N
X 1 X
Φ = −2m ln|zi − zj | + 2
|zi |2
i<j
2lb i=1

It’s also the potential of a 2 d plasma of particles with charge q in a

constant background charge density ρ0
N
X πρ0 q 2 X
Φ = −q 2 ln|zi − zj | + |zi |2
i<j
2 i=1

with −∇ Φ = 2πq δ (r) and −∇2 Φ = 2πρ0

2 2

1
Remarkably this gives ρ0 = 2πml2
i.e. the same expression obtained from
b
ρ e
hall conductivity B
= ν hc .
2

2
A. Khare 10/17
A heuristic model
q charged particle orbiting around a thin solenoid(along ẑ) at a distance r
Turn on I(t)
Z
∂ϕ
(∇ × E) d2 r = −
∂t
Z
E · dl = ϕ̇

qϕ
Angular momentum is a change in torque: l˙z = −
2π
qϕ
Consider, q(t) = cϕ(t) ⇒ ∆lz =
4π
Reduce size: Charge fluxtube composite
an effective planar system with fractional angular
momentum: anyon
The electric charge of excitation: e∗ = νe = me
with ν = 1
m
(m integer)
qϕ e 2π
1
anyons have fractional spin : j = = m4πe = 2m
4π

11/17
Fractional Charge from Berry Phase
Berry phase depends upon the geometry of path
Z tf
d
γ = −i dt⟨ψ(t)| |ψ(t)⟩
ti dt
According to Laughlin, wavefunction of quasiholes (z0 being the centre of
excitation)
P 2 2 Y Y
+z0
ψm = N+ e− i |zi | /4lb (zi − z0 ) (zj − zk )m
i j<k
d +z0
P d

+z
Clearly for quasiholes ψ
dt m
(t) = i dt ln|zi − z0 | ψm 0

using electron density ρ

+z0
X
ρ(z) = ⟨ψm (t)| δ 2 (z − zi )|ψm
+z0
(t)⟩
i

d2 z dz0 z01−z ρ(z) = 2πNs .

R H
Berry phase for quasi holes is obtained γ = −i
Γ
qϕs
Comparing with the phase e−i ℏc (a article with charge q gains upon
circling around loop s with flux ϕs ) , 2πNs = qϕ
ℏc
s
with fractional charge
hcNs e
q= =
ϕs m
3
3
Arovas 12/17
Detection and Experiment

(a) Schematic diagram of the

quantum interferometer with QH
fluid; red edge lines corresponds
to edge mode current
(b) Experimental evidence of
Fractional Statistics for ν = 13 ,
taken from Nakamura et al. [5]

wavefunctions interfere either constructively or destructively at source in

the presence of N quasi-particles at centre
e∗ BA
θ= + 2πN α
e ℏ
4
2πα is the statistical phase experienced by anyons.
4
David Tong, FQHE notes 13/17
Summary and Conclusion
▶ The physics with anyons is so much exciting and we briefly touched
upon some essential features of it.
▶ Although an approximation, Laughlin wave function provides a
insightful description of ground state of FQH system.
▶ The results obtained from anyonic stattistics in FQHE has precision
roughly around 10−4 to 10−5 .
▶ The application of anyons and the statistics transcends beyond
FQHE, like in topological quantum computation etc

14/17
Acknowledgement

I would like to thank our course instructor Prof. Rajdeep Sensarma, for
the beautiful lectures in the course. I tried my best to mention the
reference of the respective papers in the corresponding areas throughout.

15/17
References

Sumathi Rao, Introduction to abelian and non-abelian anyons

David Tong,Lectures on fractional quantum hall effect

Richard MacKenzie,Path Integral Methods and Applications

Avinash Khare, Fractional Statistics and Quantum Thoery

Daniel Arovas, J. R. Schrieffer, and Frank Wilczek, Fractional

Statistics and the Quantum Hall Effect

16/17
Thank You

17/17