Abstract

In a 3D world, all fundamental particles fall into one of two categories: those that behave like photons which make up light, and those that behave like electrons which make up matter. However, more exotic particles can arise in 2D, called anyons, which could form the hardware of future quantum computers, thanks to their fractional exchange statistics. Directly observing anyons is a major challenge of contemporary physics. In this talk, I will present a newly-developed protocol for preparing anyons in an optical cavity built by carefully aligning a set of high-quality mirrors. I will explain how one can drive the cavity with lasers to inject photons one by one, building up a “fractional quantum Hall” state. Additional lasers are used to create anyonic “hole” excitations and move them around one another. The resulting phases are measured by interferometry. I will discuss the challenges of implementing the protocol by analyzing experimental constraints.