Unpaired composite fermion, topological exciton, and zero mode

The paired state of composite fermions is expected to support two kinds of excitations: vortices and unpaired composite fermions. We construct an explicit microscopic description of the unpaired composite fermions, which we demonstrate to be accurate for a 3-body model interaction and, possibly, adiabatically connected to the Coulomb solution. This understanding reveals that an unpaired composite fermion carries with it a charge-neutral "topological" exciton, which, in turn, helps provide microscopic insight into the origin of zero modes, fusion rules, and energetics.