Synthetic gauge fields in synthetic dimensions

We describe a simple technique for generating a cold-atom lattice pierced by a uniform magnetic field. Our method is to extend a one-dimensional optical lattice into the “dimension” provided by the internal atomic degrees of freedom, yielding a synthetic two-dimensional lattice. Suitable laser coupling between these internal states leads to a uniform magnetic flux within the two-dimensional lattice. We show that this setup reproduces the main features of magnetic lattice systems, such as the fractal Hofstadter-butterfly spectrum and the chiral edge states of the associated Chern insulating phases.

http://prl.aps.org/abstract/PRL/v112/i4/e043001

This was also featured in a write-up in Science!  http://www.sciencemag.org/content/343/6172/711.2.short

Synthetic gauge fields in synthetic dimensions; A. Celi, P. Massignan, J. Ruseckas, N. Goldman, I. B. Spielman, G. Juzeliūnas, and M. Lewenstein; Phys. Rev. Lett. 112, 043001 (2014). doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.112.043001