Impact of bulk-edge coupling on observation of anyonic braiding statistics in quantum Hall interferometers

• Published in: Nature communications Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 344
• Main Authors: Nakamura, J., Liang, S., Gardner, G. C., Manfra, M. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 17-01-2022; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/766/119/2792; 639/766/119/2794; Braiding; Compressibility; Coupling; Elementary excitations; Humanities and Social Sciences; Interferometers; Magnetic fields; multidisciplinary; Oscillations; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Statistics
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-27958-w

Quantum Hall interferometers have been used to probe fractional charge and statistics of quasiparticles. We present measurements of a small Fabry–Perot interferometer in which the electrostatic coupling constants which affect interferometer behavior can be determined experimentally. Near the center of the
ν
 = 1/3 state this device exhibits Aharonov–Bohm interference interrupted by a few discrete phase jumps, and Φ
0
oscillations at higher and lower magnetic fields, consistent with theoretical predictions for detection of anyonic statistics. We estimate the electrostatic parameters
K
I
and
K
I
L
by two methods: using the ratio of oscillation periods in compressible versus incompressible regions, and from finite-bias conductance measurements. We find that the extracted
K
I
and
K
I
L
can account for the deviation of the phase jumps from the theoretical anyonic phase
θ
a
 = 2
π
/3. At integer states, we find that
K
I
and
K
I
L
can account for the Aharonov–Bohm and Coulomb-dominated behavior of different edge states.
Quantum Hall interferometers have proven to be a useful platform for the study of fractional statistics. Here, the authors experimentally study the effect of Coulomb interactions between bulk and edge charges on the interferometer behavior, validating previous theoretical predictions.