Joost Slingerland
Topological Quantum Computing: from Anyons to Quantum Wires.
Early experiments in the quest for topologically fault tolerant quantum computation focused almost exclusively on two dimensional electron gases exhibiting the fractional quantum Hall effect. The edges of these devices act as quantum wires, and interferometers built from such wires can measure and manipulate the nonlocal information stored by anyonic excitations in the 2D bulk medium. I will give an introduction to the relevant quantum Hall systems and to the various interferometric devices that have been constructed, noting their potential uses as well as their failings. I will attempt to indicate how the experience with these devices is relevant to other (potential) physical realizations of topological media for quantum information storage and processing.