Exotic non-Abelian anyons from conventional fractional quantum Hall states

Understand

Non-Abelian anyons--particles whose exchange noncommutatively transforms a system's quantum state--are widely sought for the exotic fundamental physics they harbor as well as for quantum computing applications.

• There now exist numerous blueprints for stabilizing the simplest type of non-Abelian anyon, defects binding Majorana modes, by judiciously interfacing widely available materials.
• Following this line of attack, we introduce a device fabricated from conventional fractional quantum Hall states and s-wave superconductors that supports exotic non-Abelian anyons that bind `parafermions', which can be viewed as fractionalized Majorana fermions.
• We show that these modes can be experimentally identified (and distinguished from Majoranas) using Josephson measurements.