Quantum Simulation Beyond Classical Simulation: Ultracold Ytterbium Atoms in an Optical Lattice

Quantum many-body systems sometimes show interesting phases that are not naturally expected from the equations of motion followed by each individual particle. The quantum many-body system cannot be theoretically studied on a relatively small scale even with up-to-date computers due to the limitation of computational resources. If there is a quantum system that follows the same equations of motion and is easy to control and observe, it would be useful for further research. This is a method called “quantum simulation”. A good example is the Fermi atoms in an optical lattice, which corresponds to electrons in a solid. We report a new approach to measure short-range quantum magnetism of ultracold fermionic ytterbium atoms with six spin components in an optical lattice.