Fractional quasiexcitons in incompressible electron liquids

A new kind of many-body excitonic state composed of fractionally charged constituents is introduced. The constituents are a trion (X-) embedded in an incompressible electron liquid and Laughlin quasiholes (QH's). Laughlin electron-trion correlations lead to an effective trion charge of -e/3. This many-body excitation is called “quasiexciton” and denoted by X- to distinguish it from a normal trion. The X- can bind one or two (e/3)-charged QH's, giving a neutral X or a positive X+. The energy spectra and photoluminescence from radiative quasiexciton decay are studied numerically and interpreted using a generalized composite Fermion model of the e-X- fluid.