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arXiv · 2506.22173

Topological Flat Minibands and Fractional Chern Insulators in Rashba Systems with Tunable Superlattice Potentials

Bokai Liang·Wei Qin·Zhenyu Zhang
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Abstract

Fractional Chern insulators are interaction-driven topological states that realize the lattice analogue of the fractional quantum Hall effect without external magnetic fields. Here we propose a programmable platform for engineering topological flat bands by combining a Zeeman field with a tunable electrostatic superlattice potential in a Rashba spin-orbit-coupled thin film. The Zeeman field generates a nearly flat segment of the Rashba band, which is isolated by the superlattice potential into a flat band with Chern number $\mathcal{C}=1$. Using many-body exact diagonalization, we show that this band supports fractional Chern insulators at filling factors $n = 1/3$ and $2/3$, both of which remain robust over broad parameter ranges. We further identify realistic material candidates and the corresponding device conditions that enable experimental realization. These results establish a versatile and experimentally accessible platform for engineering topological flat bands and exploring correlated topological phases.

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Bokai Liang, Wei Qin, Zhenyu Zhang. 2025-06-27. Topological Flat Minibands and Fractional Chern Insulators in Rashba Systems with Tunable Superlattice Potentials. https://arxiv.org/abs/2506.22173

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