Symmetry-induced anyon "breeding" in fractional quantum Hall states

Abstract

An exotic feature of the fractional quantum Hall effect is the emergence of anyons, which are quasiparticle excitations with fractional statistics. In the presence of a symmetry, such as $U(1)$ charge conservation, it is well known that anyons can carry fractional symmetry quantum numbers. In this work we reveal a different class of symmetry realizations: i.e. anyons can "breed" in multiples under symmetry operation. We focus on the global Ising ($Z_2$) symmetry and show examples of these unconventional symmetry realizations in Laughlin-type fractional quantum Hall states. One remarkable consequence of such an Ising symmetry is the emergence of anyons on the Ising symmetry domain walls. We also provide a mathematical framework which generalizes this phenomenon to any Abelian topological orders.