Topological states of matter support quasiparticle excitations with fractional charge and possibly exotic statistics of the non-Abelian type, known as non-Abelian anyons. Most current experimental attempts to reveal such exotic statistics focus on interference involving edge transport. After a brief introduction of topological states, in this talk we will discuss how one can reveal the non-Abelian quasiparticle statistics in bulk probes. We show that bulk thermopower is a promising way to detect their non-Abelian nature, and measure the quantum dimension (a key parameter that quantifies non-Abelian statistics) of these anyons. We also demonstrate a novel cooling effect associated with them. We discuss application of these ideas to the specific candidate system of fractional quantum Hall liquid at filling factor 5/2, and topological insulator-superconductor hybrid systems. Some of the predicted behavior has been observed in recent experiments, which will also be discussed.


报告人简介:
       Dr. Yang received his Ph.D. in Condensed Matter Theory from Indiana University in 1994. After spending three years as a postdoc at Princeton and two years as Sherman Fairchild Senior Research Fellow at Caltech, he joined the faculty of Florida State University in 1999. His research interest focuses on strongly correlated electronic systems, including quantum Hall systems, unconventional superconductors, and disordered quantum magnets.