Direct observation of anyonic braiding statistics

Anyons are quasiparticles that, unlike fermions and bosons, show fractional statistics when two of them are exchanged. Here, we report the experimental observation of anyonic braiding statistics for the ν = 1/3 fractional quantum Hall state by using an electronic Fabry–Perot interferometer. Strong Aharonov–Bohm interference of the edge mode is punctuated by discrete phase slips that indicate an anyonic phase θanyon = 2π/3. Our results are consistent with a recent theory that describes an interferometer operated in a regime in which device charging energy is small compared to the energy of formation of charged quasiparticles, which indicates that we have observed anyonic braiding. An interferometer device is used to detect the quantum-mechanical phase that is gained when two anyons are braided around each other. The fractional value of the phase proves that these quasiparticles are neither bosons nor fermions.