Superperiods and quantum statistics of Laughlin quasiparticles

Abstract

Superperiodic conductance oscillations were recently observed in the quasiparticle interferometer, where an edge channel of the 1/3 fractional quantum Hall fluid encircles an island of the 2/5 fluid. We present a microscopic model of the origin of the 5h/e flux superperiod based on the Haldane-Halperin fractional-statistics hierarchical construction of the 2/5 condensate. Since variation of the applied magnetic field does not affect the charge state of the island, the fundamental period comprises the minimal 2/5 island neutral reconstruction. The period consists of incrementing by one the state number of the e/3 Laughlin quasielectron circling the island and the concurrent excitation of ten e/5 quasiparticles out of the island 2/5 condensate. The Berry phase quantization condition yields anyonic quasiparticle braiding statistics consistent with the hierarchical construction. We further discuss a composite fermion representation of quasiparticles consistent with the superperiods. It is shown to be in one-to-one correspondence with the Haldane-Halperin theory, provided a literal interpretation of the 2/5 condensate as comprised of an integer multiple of two-composite fermion, one-vortex blocks is postulated.