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Quantum many-body physics

2D or not 2D?

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In the fractional quantum Hall effect, the quasiparticles carry fractional charge. But neutral excitations with fractional spin have been elusive in two-dimensional magnets. Is it possible that they have already been observed?

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Figure 1: In a one-dimensional chain of quantum spins (spin S = 1/2) with antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbour interactions, the lowest-lying eigenstates can be described as weakly interacting particles called spinons of spin-1/2.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ross H. McKenzie is in the School of Physical Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland 4072, Australia. mckenzie@physics.uq.edu.au,

    Ross H. McKenzie

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  1. Ross H. McKenzie
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McKenzie, R. 2D or not 2D?. Nature Phys 3, 756–758 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys768

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