Is Electron an Anyon with Spin-1/2?

In this second paper in a series, we show that the the general statistical approach to nonrelativistic quantum mechanics developed in the first paper yields a representation of quantum spin and magnetic moments based on classical nonrelativistic spinning top models, using Euler angle coordinates. The models allow half-odd-integer spin and predict supraluminal speeds only for electrons and other leptons, which must be treated relativistically. The spin operators in the space-f...

Ratio of electron charge radius and Compton wavelength of electron is known to be equal to the dimensionless electromagnetic coupling constant $e^2 /\hbar c$. It is pointed out that the coupling constant has two alternative interpretations: as a ratio of two angular momenta since Planck constant has the dimension of angular momentum, and two flux quanta $e$ and $hc/e$. We argue that it has deep physical significance such that the electronic charge becomes flus itself and at a...

A gas of electrons confined to a plane is examined in both the relativistic and nonrelativistic case. Using a (0+1)-dimensional effective theory, a remarkably simple method is proposed to calculate the spin density induced by an uniform magnetic background field. The physical properties of possible fluxon excitations are determined. It is found that while in the relativistic case they can be considered as half-fermions (semions) in that they carry half a fermion charge and ha...

We present an exactly solvable model for synthetic anyons carrying non-Abelian flux. The model corresponds to a two-dimensional electron gas in a magnetic field with a specific spin interaction term, which allows only fully aligned spin states in the ground state; the ground state subspace is thus two-fold degenerate. This system is perturbed with identical solenoids carrying a non-Abelian gauge potential. We explore dynamics of the ground state as these solenoids are adiabat...

In this article we present a pedagogical introduction of the main ideas and recent advances in the area of topological quantum computation. We give an overview of the concept of anyons and their exotic statistics, present various models that exhibit topological behavior, and we establish their relation to quantum computation. Possible directions for the physical realization of topological systems and the detection of anyonic behavior are elaborated.

The idea that the electron is an extended charged object the spinning of which is responsible for its magnetic moment is shown to require a sizable portion of the electron to spin at speeds very close to the speed of light, and in fact to explode within an unacceptably short time, ~1E-31 s. The experimentally well-established magnetic moment of elementary particles such as the electron therefore must be accepted as an intrinsic property, with no need for classical models base...

We consider the external magnetic field effects on the two types of anyon with fractional statistical parameters $p/q$ with coprimes $p$ and $q$, one with fractional charge $e/q $ and flux $p \phi_0(=hc/e)$(type I), the other with fractional flux $p \phi_0/q$ and fundamental charge $e$(type II). These two-types of anyons show different behaviors in the presence of the external magnetic field. We also considered the geometry in which a two-dimensional plane contains an island ...

The quantum-mechanical description of assemblies of particles whose motion is confined to two (or one) spatial dimensions offers many possibilities that are distinct from bosons and fermions. We call such particles anyons. The simplest anyons are parameterized by an angular phase parameter $\theta$. $\theta = 0, \pi$ correspond to bosons and fermions respectively; at intermediate values we say that we have fractional statistics. In two dimensions, $\theta$ describes the phase...

In this set of lectures, we give a pedagogical introduction to the subject of anyons. We discuss 1) basic concepts in anyon physics, 2) quantum mechanics of two anyon systems, 3) statistical mechanics of many anyon systems, 4) mean field approach to many anyon systems and anyon superconductivity, 5) anyons in field theory and 6) anyons in the Fractional Quantum Hall Effect (FQHE). (Based on lectures delivered at the VII SERC school in High Energy Physics at the Physical Resea...

The effects of a magnetic field on the energy and on the spin of free electrons are computed in the framework of quantum field theory. In the case of a constant moderate field and with relatively slow electrons, the derived formulae are particularly simple. A comparison with the approaches of classical physics and of quantum mechanics shows essential differences and important analogies. The relevance to the magnetic effects of the initial polarization components of the electr...