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Realizing Fractional Chern Insulators in Dipolar Spin Systems
Strongly correlated quantum systems can exhibit exotic behavior controlled by topology. We predicted that the v = 1/2 fractional Chern insulator arose naturally in a two-dimensional array of driven, dipolar interacting spins. As a specific implementation, we analyzed how to prepare and detect synthetic gauge potentials for the rotational excitations of ultracold polar molecules trapped in a deep optical lattice. With the motion of the molecules pinned, under certain conditions, those rotational excitations formed a fractional Chern insulating state. We presented a detailed experimental blueprint for its realization and demonstrated that the implementation was consistent with near-term capabilities. Prospects for the realization of such phases in solid-state dipolar systems were discussed as were their possible applications.