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Concept
Fractionalization
Summary
In quantum mechanics, fractionalization is the phenomenon whereby the quasiparticles of a system cannot be constructed as combinations of its elementary constituents. One of the earliest and most prominent examples is the fractional quantum Hall effect, where the constituent particles are electrons but the quasiparticles carry fractions of the electron charge. Fractionalization can be understood as deconfinement of quasiparticles that together are viewed as comprising the elementary constituents. In the case of spin–charge separation, for example, the electron can be viewed as a bound state of a 'spinon' and a 'chargon', which under certain conditions can become free to move separately.
Quantized Hall conductance was discovered in 1980, related to the electron charge. Laughlin proposed a fluid of fractional charges in 1983, to explain the Fractional quantum Hall effect seen in 1982, for which he shared the 1998 Physics Nobel Prize. In 1997, experiments directly observed an electric current of one-third charge. The one-fifth charge was seen in 1999 and various odd fractions have since been detected.
Disordered magnetic materials were later shown to form interesting spin phases. Spin fractionalization was seen in spin ices in 2009 and spin liquids in 2012.
Fractional charges continue to be an active topic in condensed matter physics. Studies of these quantum phases impact understanding of superconductivity, and insulators with surface transport for topological quantum computers.
Many-body effects in complicated condensed materials lead to emergent properties that can be described as quasiparticles existing in the substance. Electron behavior in solids can be considered as quasi-particle magnons, excitons, holes, and charges with different effective mass. Spinons, chargons, and anyons cannot be considered elementary particle combinations. Different quantum statistics have been seen; Anyons wavefunctions gain a continuous phase in exchange:
It has been realized many insulators have a conducting surface of 2D quantum electron gas states.
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