4
votes
2answers
118 views

Whis is the difference between charge fractionalization in 1D and 2D?

Both 1D Polyacetelene and 2D fractional quantum Hall state can support fractional excitations. But as I can see, there are some differences: the ground state of Polyacetelene breaks translational ...
5
votes
1answer
153 views

A question on the doped Kitaev-Heisenberg model?

Recently, some groups have studied the effects of doping the Kitaev model on honeycomb lattice(e.g.,http://arxiv.org/abs/1109.6681 and http://arxiv.org/abs/1109.4155) and their calculations show the ...
4
votes
1answer
183 views

Chiral edge state as topological properity of bulk state

As far as I know, quantum hall effect and quantum spin hall effect has chiral edge state. Chiral edge state is usually closely related with delocalization, since back scattering is forbidden. However, ...
10
votes
2answers
353 views

Why quantum hall effect has chiral edge state?

The most popular explaination may be the following: in magnetic field, electrons move in cycolotron orbits, such cycolotron orbits ensure electrons to move in one direction at the edge. That is why ...
3
votes
1answer
103 views

Measurement of topological spin

How do you measure the topological spin of an anyon? So how could an experimental setup look like? Is topological spin an observable at all?
7
votes
0answers
165 views

What is the precise definition or list of prerequisites for an anyonic system?

I have been reading some reviews and looked into books on anyons and topological quantum computation and I found it a little difficult to make out a short list of parameters and a clear and short list ...
2
votes
1answer
110 views

What is the operator for the edge current of a fracional quantum Hall state?

The edge of a fractional quantum Hall state is a chiral conformal field theory. In the Laughlin case it corresponds to the chiral boson, $$ S = \frac{1}{4\pi} \int dt dx ...
5
votes
2answers
443 views

Why are Topological Superconductors hard to make?

Topological insulators (TI) have already been made in lab. Topological superconductors (TSC), being close cousins of TI, seem harder to make. Why is that? It seems that materials in connection with ...
15
votes
5answers
1k views

Simple models that exhibit topological phase transitions

There are a number of physical systems with phases described by topologically protected invariants (fractional quantum Hall, topological insulators) but what are the simplest mathematical models that ...