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Nature 452, 822-823 (17 April 2008) | doi:10.1038/452823a; Published online 16 April 2008
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Quantum physics: Debut of the quarter electron
Eduardo Fradkin1
Abstract
A particle-like object with a quarter of an electron's charge is the latest find in a hotbed of quantum-physical experimentation, the fractional quantum Hall fluid. Its significance is more than esoteric.
On page 829 of this issue, Dolev et al.1 report the detection of vortices in a fluid of electrons confined to two dimensions within a semiconductor structure that carry just 1/4 of the electron's charge. These 'quasiparticles' are an exciting find: according to theoretical predictions, their collective behaviour should be described by an unusual type of particle statistics known as non-abelian statistics.
- Eduardo Fradkin is in the Department of Physics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1110 West Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801-3080, USA.
Email: efradkin@uiuc.edu
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