AI finds evidence of exotic ‘anyons’ for quantum computing

A neural network, trained without pre-programmed expectations, has revealed a degenerate ground-state manifold whose entanglement reveals anyons with a quantum dimension of 2, a key signature of Ising-type non-Abelian order. Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology developed the momentum-resolved neural-network wave function to analyze the behavior of electrons at filling factor ν = 3/2, a specific condition for observing these quantum phenomena. The work presents the first complete solution to the non-Abelian quantum Hall problem including all electrons and Landau levels, and further demonstrates that Landau level mixing favors the anti-Pfaffian state over other candidates. These results showcase the power of artificial intelligence in characterizing anyons from first principles, relevant to recent experiments in the field. The AI’s success stems from a momentum-resolved neural-network wave function, optimized directly against the microscopic Hamiltonian, allowing access to the degenerate ground states where these anyons reside. The filling factor ν = 3/2 represents a state where the lowest…