A microscope for Fermi gases (A. Omran) / Methods to observe topological properties in a fermionic ladder model (Dr. M. Burrello)

A microscope for Fermi gases (A. Omran)
Ultracold atoms in optical lattices provide a powerful platform for the controlled study of quantum many body physics. The ability to resolve single atoms in optical lattices has proven to be a powerful technique for studying strongly correlated quantum gases of bosons, providing new insights into equilibrium physics around quantum phase transitions, dynamical properties in the strongly correlated regime and even allowed for the local study of entanglement entropy. In our experiment we have recently realised a quantum gas microscope with fermionic Li6, providing a new tool to study various models relevant for condensed matter physics. I present our results on studying degenerate Fermi gases and extracting thermodynamic quantities on a single-site level.

Methods to observe topological properties in a fermionic ladder model (Dr. M. Burrello)
The recent successes in coupling ultracold gases to synthetic gauge potentials show the exceptional possibilities of such setups in studying and probing many-body quantum physics. In this talk I will review some aspects of the theory of topological phases of matter and I will describe how synthetic magnetic fields and spin-orbit couplings allow us to simulate topological insulators and superconductors in optical lattices. I will focus in particular on a ladder model of fermions which mimics a one-dimensional topological superconductor and presents fractionalized edge modes. The physical observables suitable for the detection of topological phases in this system will be examined also in the presence of trapping potentials and Hubbard interactions.