Engineering synthetic quantum systems with ultracold atoms and light

Ultracold gases of neutral atoms provide a powerful technological platform for engineering synthetic many-body quantum systems with ample tunability of the experimental parameters. In a “quantum simulation” perspective, it... [ view full abstract ]

Ultracold gases of neutral atoms provide a powerful technological platform for engineering synthetic many-body quantum systems with ample tunability of the experimental parameters. In a “quantum simulation” perspective, it is possible to control the atomic state to provide direct experimental realizations of fundamental theoretical models, and to achieve “extreme" states of matter with no counterpart in conventional materials.

I will give an introduction to the field, focusing on new possibilities which are opened by the coherent, metrological-grade manipulation of internal states in ultracold Fermi gases of two-electron atoms. As a specific example, I will present the results of recent experiments in which, by optical coupling of different internal states (both nuclear and electronic), we have demonstrated the possibility of engineering “synthetic dimensions”, in which lattice dynamics in a fictitious space are encoded in the internal Hilbert space of single atoms. By using this new approach to the synthesis of quantum systems, we have demonstrated new techniques for the production of artificial quantum Hall materials and observed the emergence of edge currents in fermionic topological ladders with large, tunable magnetic flux.