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Nature Nanotechnology 3, 252 (1 May 2008) | doi:10.1038/nnano.2008.112

Quantum information: Fraction stations

Peter Rodgers

Single-electron transistors might appear to be the ultimate in nanoelectronic devices, but it has been known for about a decade that quasiparticles with fractional charges, such as one-third and one-fifth of the electron charge, can be found in semiconductor structures under extreme conditions. Now, two independent groups of physicists have found evidence for quasiparticles with one-quarter of the electron charge.