Observation of Laughlin states made of light

Understand

Much of the richness in nature emerges because the same simple constituents can form an endless variety of ordered states.

• While many such states are fully characterized by their symmetries, interacting quantum systems can also exhibit topological order, which is instead characterized by intricate patterns of entanglement.
• A paradigmatic example of such topological order is the Laughlin state, which minimizes the interaction energy of charged particles in a magnetic field and underlies the fractional quantum Hall effect.
• Broad efforts have arisen to enhance our understanding of these orders by forming Laughlin states in synthetic quantum systems, such as those composed of ultracold atoms or photons.