title: Synthetic Dimensions and Spin-Orbit Coupling with an Optical Clock Transition.
abstract: We demonstrate a novel way of synthesizing spin-orbit interactions in ultracold quantum gases, based on a single-photon optical clock transition coupling two long-lived electronic states of two-electron ^{173}Yb atoms. By mapping the electronic states onto effective sites along a synthetic "electronic" dimension, we have engineered fermionic ladders with synthetic magnetic flux in an experimental configuration that has allowed us to achieve uniform fluxes on a lattice with minimal requirements and unprecedented tunability. We have detected the spin-orbit coupling with fiber-link-enhanced clock spectroscopy and directly measured the emergence of chiral edge currents, probing them as a function of the flux. These results open new directions for the investigation of topological states of matter with ultracold atomic gases.
authors.affiliation: LENS European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.|INO-CNR Istituto Nazionale di Ottica del CNR, Sezione di Sesto Fiorentino, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Livi
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.|INO-CNR Istituto Nazionale di Ottica del CNR, Sezione di Sesto Fiorentino, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cappellini
authors.affiliation: ILP Institut für Laserphysik, Universität Hamburg, D-20355 Hamburg, Germany.|INRIM Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, I-10135 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Diem
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Franchi
authors.affiliation: INRIM Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, I-10135 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Clivati
authors.affiliation: INRIM Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, I-10135 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Frittelli
authors.affiliation: INRIM Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, I-10135 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Levi
authors.affiliation: INRIM Istituto Nazionale di Ricerca Metrologica, I-10135 Torino, Italy.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Calonico
authors.affiliation: LENS European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.|INO-CNR Istituto Nazionale di Ottica del CNR, Sezione di Sesto Fiorentino, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.|INFN Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Firenze, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Catani
authors.affiliation: LENS European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.|Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.|INO-CNR Istituto Nazionale di Ottica del CNR, Sezione di Sesto Fiorentino, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inguscio
authors.affiliation: LENS European Laboratory for Nonlinear Spectroscopy, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.|Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Florence, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.|INO-CNR Istituto Nazionale di Ottica del CNR, Sezione di Sesto Fiorentino, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.|INFN Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare, Sezione di Firenze, I-50019 Sesto Fiorentino, Italy.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Fallani