A Josephson frequency for fractionally charged anyons

TL;DR

This paper experimentally demonstrates a Josephson relation for fractional charges of anyons in the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect, providing insights into their dynamics through photo-assisted shot noise measurements.

Contribution

It reports the first experimental observation of a Josephson frequency relation for fractional anyons, linking microwave irradiation to their charge dynamics.

Findings

Observed signatures of Josephson relation in shot noise data

Validated FQHE shot noise models for fractional charges

Paved the way for time-resolved anyon sources

Abstract

Anyons occur in two-dimensional electron systems as excitations with fractional charge in the topologically ordered states of the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect (FQHE). Their dynamics are of utmost importance for topological quantum phases and possible decoherence free quantum information approaches, but observing these dynamics experimentally is challenging. Here we report on a dynamical property of anyons: the long predicted Josephson relation fJ=e*V/h for charges e*=e/3 and e/5, where e is the charge of the electron and h is Planck's constant. The relation manifests itself as marked signatures in the dependence of Photo Assisted Shot Noise (PASN) on voltage V when irradiating contacts at microwaves frequency fJ. The validation of FQHE PASN models indicates a path towards realizing time-resolved anyon sources based on levitons.