Fractionalization—the emergence of low-energy excitations carrying fractional quantum numbers of the underlying particles—stands at the frontier of modern condensed matter physics. First studied in the context of spin-charge separation in Luttinger liquids and fractionally charged excitations in fractional quantum Hall systems, these ideas have evolved into the more general notion of topological order with important implications for quantum computing. Recent experimental breakthroughs have expanded the landscape where fractionalization can be observed and manipulated which span both traditional condensed matter platforms and engineered quantum simulators. These diverse systems have revealed rich phenomena including anyonic quasiparticles and quantum Hall phases in the absence of a magnetic field.

These rapid experimental advances call for enhancing the theoretical framework to understand fractionalization in these new contexts, including ideas like generalized symmetries and routes to preparing various fractionalized states. The program will bring together the community of quantum materials and quantum simulations and gather expertise in analytical modeling, numerical simulation, and experimental techniques. By merging insights from different communities, this program seeks to develop a comprehensive framework to simulate, control, and understand fractionalized excitations across diverse systems.