Fractionalization into merons in quantum dots

We study by exact diagonalization, in the lowest Landau level approximation, the Coulomb interaction problem of N = 4 and N = 6 quantum dot in the limit of zero Zeeman coupling. We find that meron excitations constitute the lowest lying states of the quantum dots. This is based on a mapping between the excitations of the dot and states of the Haldane-Shastry spin chain.