Spinning braid-group representation and the fractional quantum Hall effect

Abstract

The path-integral approach to representing braid group is generalized for particles with spin. Introducing the notion of charged winding number in the super-plane, we represent the braid-group generators as homotopically constrained Feynman kernels. In this framework, super Knizhnik-Zamolodchikov operators appear naturally in the hamiltonian, suggesting the possibility of spinning nonabelian anyons. We then apply our formulation to the study of fractional quantum Hall effect (FQHE). A systematic discussion of the ground states and their quasi-hole excitations is given. We obtain Laughlin, Halperin and Moore-Read states as exact ground-state solutions to the respective hamiltonians associated to the braid-group representations. The energy gap of the quasi-excitation is also obtainable from this approach.