Concept 27 of 42 · Interacting Topological Phases

Fractional quantum Hall effect

Strongly interacting electrons can form incompressible liquids with fractionally charged excitations.

01 / The mathematical statement
$$\nu=\frac{1}{m}\quad(m\ \text{odd for fermionic Laughlin states})$$

What this means

Strongly interacting electrons can form incompressible liquids with fractionally charged excitations.

GAPPED BULKedge transport
Conceptual illustration; not to scale.

Deep dive: mathematical and physical mechanism

At filling $\nu=1/m$, the Laughlin wavefunction is $\Psi_m=\prod_{i

How it appears in quantum phenomena

Fractional Hall states in high-mobility two-dimensional electron gases.

Assumptions, caveats and limitations

Fractional filling does not automatically imply a Laughlin phase; interactions and sample conditions matter.

Connect the ideas

For context, see the Interacting Topological Phases topic guide and the reading references.

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