High Energy ideas and phenomena in quantum simulation: from synthetic lattices to lattice gauge theories
Dr. Alessio Celi (ICFO – The Institute of Photonic Sciences, Barcelona)

After reviewing idea and motivations for quantum simulation, I will introduce the simulation of synthetic (background) gauge fields with ultracold atoms as paradigmatic example.
Such quantum Simulators allow to study quantum Hall effects, as well as the simulation of relativistic physics and other topological systems. Of all the possible strategies developed in order to engineer synthetic gauge fields, I will detail the one based on "synthetic dimensions" that we introduced and has been recently experimentally realized in two different experiments. In the last part of the talk, I will briefly discuss how it is possible to simulate (certain) lattice gauge theories, i.e. models in which the synthetic gauge field becomes dynamical and quantum.