Physics Colloquium - Lauritsen Lecture

The Return of Anyons: From twisted layers to quantum platforms

What if matter were built of particles that follow different rules than the ones we've known for a century? While conventional particles are either bosons or fermions, theory has predicted the existence of "anyons"—particles with entirely different quantum behaviors in two spatial dimensions. In the 1980s, anyons were realized in quantum Hall systems, though they required extreme laboratory conditions to observe.

In a recent breakthrough, researchers have observed anyons in "moiré" materials without needing powerful magnetic fields, making these exotic particles far more accessible to study. Meanwhile, parallel advances in quantum platforms are bringing us closer to creating them and their even more fascinating cousins—non-Abelions.

This talk surveys this rapidly evolving frontier, including how quantum measurements can help realize non-Abelions in the lab, and the emergent properties of large collections of anyons that can now potentially be realized in these new platforms.

Join via Zoom:
https://caltech.zoom.us/j/89860951893
Meeting ID: 818 6692 9019

The colloquium is held in Feynman Lecture Hall, 201 E. Bridge.