Physicists at Heidelberg University have successfully created a fermionic Laughlin state, a theoretical system that was previously only observed in bosonic systems. The achievement marks a significant milestone in the study of topological states of matter and could lead to new discoveries in fields like condensed-matter physics.
The researchers used ultracold fermions – tiny particles made up of atoms – to create the Laughlin state. They did this by rapidly rotating the fermions using a beam of laser light, which transferred their angular momentum from the center to the edge of the particle. This process effectively created a new system with a single topological charge.
To confirm that they had created a Laughlin state, the researchers measured the energy transfer rate of the particles as they rotated at different frequencies. They found that the energy was independent of the interaction strength between the particles, which is a key characteristic of the Laughlin state.
The achievement is significant because it demonstrates that fermionic systems can be used to study topological states of matter in a way that is similar to bosonic systems. This could lead to new insights into the behavior of materials and potentially even the development of new technologies.
Future research plans include exploring other fermionic fractional quantum Hall liquids, such as the 1/3 Laughlin state, which could provide further insights into the properties of these systems. The researchers also hope to study the properties of magnetic skyrmions in ultracold atoms, which could lead to new discoveries in condensed-matter physics.
The creation of a fermionic Laughlin state is an important step forward in the study of topological states of matter and demonstrates the power of ultracold atomic systems in simulating complex quantum systems.
Source: https://physics.aps.org/articles/v17/178