Not a Fermion, Not a Boson. Scientists Find New Evidence of Two-Dimensional ‘Anyons’

Slashdot reader Nostalgia4Infinity shared this report from Science News:
In the three-dimensional world we live in, there are two classes of elementary particles: bosons and fermions. But in two dimensions, theoretical physicists predict, there’s another option: anyons. Now, scientists report new evidence that anyons exist and that they behave unlike any known particle. Using a tiny “collider,” researchers flung presumed anyons at one another to help confirm their identities, physicists report in the April 10 Science… Braiding some types of anyons may be a useful technique for building better quantum computers. Current versions of those computers are highly susceptible to mistakes slipping into calculations. Like a neat plait that keeps unruly hair in line, braided anyons could store information in a manner that is resistant to such errors. Although the new study hasn’t demonstrated braiding, it gets scientists a step closer to understanding anyons. “It’s a beautiful experiment. It is definitely going beyond what was done in the past,” Nayak says.