Final Report Summary - FQHE (Statistics of Fractionally Charged Quasi-Particles)
The project aimed at revealing the nature, and in particular, the statistics of quasiparticles in the fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE) regime. Quasiparticles are expected to possess anyonic statistics (with the respected wavefunction gaining phase upon two particles being exchanged). Similarly, non-abelian quasiparticles (in ff=5/2), are expected to have a different wavefunction upon exchange. Interference experiments, which involve particle exchange, must be performed. However, interference of fractional charges was never observed. However, new abd unknown new modes, carrying energy without net charge (neutral modes), had been found, along the edge of the devices and in the bulk. We suspect that the excitation of these neutral modes may lead to dephasing of the fractional charges. This must be proven yett.