General Scope :
Non-abelian anyons are a type of quasiparticle that can be generated in low dimensional (d<3), strongly
interacting electronic system. The interest in such anyons lies in their new quantum statistic, neither
bosonic nor fermionic, which make it possible to manipulate the ground state of an electronic system by
exchanging the position of its particles. This controlled exchange of the anyon positions, known as
braiding, should lead to topological qubits with exceptionally low error rates [1]. In addition, the
possibility of exploring a new quantum statistic beyond the fermion-boson dichotomy is of considerable
fundamental interest.
[1] “Non-Abelian anyons and topological quantum computation”
C. Nayak et al. Review of Modern Physics (2008).
Research topic and facilities available :
The most promising route to realizing non-abelian anyons is the fractional quantum Hall effect, where
a 2D electron system is subjected to a strong perpendicular magnetic field. Bilayer graphene has recently
been shown to be a promising platform for probing these anyons, thanks to its high electron mobility
and high degree of tunability. Their detection relies on their non-trivial quantum statistics, which can be
inferred from low temperature measurement of the chemical potential. The goal of this project is to
probe the chemical potential in a capacitor geometry in which one of the plates is made of bilayer
graphene. The candidate will be involved in the sample fabrication process, where single electron
transistors, used as highly sensitive detectors of the chemical potential, are placed on bilayer graphene
equipped with electrostatic gates. She/He will be involved in low noise
cryogenic measurements of quantum capacitors.
Possible collaboration and networking :
University of California Santa Barbara – Young lab.
Required skills:
Background in condensed matter physics.
Interest in experimental condensed matter physics with quantum electrical circuits.
Starting date :
Flexible.
Contact :
Alexandre Assouline :
alexandre.assouline@neel.cnrs.fr