Yuval Ronen Lab

Position exchange of non-Abelian anyons affects the quantum state of their system in a topologically protected way1. Their expected manifestations in even-denominator fractional quantum Hall (FQH) systems offer the opportunity to directly study their unique statistical properties in interference experiments2. Here we present the observation of coherent AharonovBohm interference at two even-denominator states in high-mobility bilayer-graphene-based van der Waals (vdW) heterostructures by using the FabryPérot interferometry technique. Operating the interferometer at a constant filling factor, we observe an oscillation period corresponding to two flux quanta inside the interference loop, ΔΦ=2Φ0, at which the interference does not carry signatures of non-Abelian statistics. The absence of the expected periodicity of ΔΦ=4Φ0 may indicate that the interfering quasiparticles carry the charge $${e}^{* }=\frac{1}{2}e$$or that interference of $${e}^{* }=\frac{1}{4}e$$quasiparticles is thermally smeared. Notably, at two hole-conjugate states, we also observe oscillation periods of half the expected value, indicating interference of $${e}^{* }=\frac{2}{3}e$$quasiparticles instead of $${e}^{* }=\frac{1}{3}e$$. To investigate statistical phase contributions, we operated the FabryPérot interferometer (FPI) with controlled deviations of the filling factor, thereby introducing fractional quasiparticles inside the interference loop. The resulting changes to the interference patterns at both half-filled states indicate that the extra bulk quasiparticles carry the fundamental charge $${e}^{* }=\frac{1}{4}e$$, as expected for non-Abelian anyons.

The effective interaction between composite fermions, set entirely by the Coulomb potential and the underlying electronic Landau level orbitals, can stabilize exotic fractional quantum Hall states. In particular, half-filled Landau levels with different orbital character can host either metallic or paired phases of composite fermions. Here, we leverage experimental control over the orbital composition to realize a composite-fermion pairing transition in the first excited Landau level of bilayer graphene. Transport measurements at filling factors v = 9/2 and 11/2 reveal conductive states giving way to well-developed plateaus with increasing displacement fields. These states are insensitive to an in-plane magnetic field, indicating single-component ground states and thus pointing at non-Abelian orders. Our numerical study, based on displacement-field-dependent Landau-level wavefunctions, supports the orbital origin of the pairing transition and suggests Moore-Read or anti-Pfaffian ground states.

Twisted trilayer graphene (TTG) provides a tunable moiré platform to study correlated phases emerging from flat-band physics. Here, we investigate the interplay between superconductivity and spontaneous orbital magnetism (OM) in alternating TTG devices with intermediate twist angles (1.381.44°). Using electrostatically defined Josephson junctions, we demonstrate that OM, stabilized near the charge neutrality point (CNP), competes with gate-induced superconductivity. The OM phase is characterized by sharp jumps in Hall resistance, current-induced bistability, and a CurieBloch temperature dependence, indicating broken time-reversal symmetry. Additionally, nonreciprocal Josephson transport─manifested as asymmetric Fraunhofer patterns and a superconducting diode effect─provides independent evidence of an orbital magnetic state confined to the weak link. The observed critical temperature hierarchy, where superconductivity dominates over OM at higher carrier densities and displacement fields, reveals a tunable competition between two broken-symmetry ground states. Our findings establish alternating TTG Josephson devices as a minimal and versatile platform to probe the coexistence of magnetism and superconductivity in engineered moiré systems.