Abstract:
A large repulsion between quantum particles on a lattice can lead to their localization, as it happens for the electrons in Mott insulating materials.
When we consider fermions with N > 2 flavours and the global SU(N) symmetry is broken we can engineer novel quantum states that range from selective Mott insulators to anomalous Metals, like the Hund’s metal which is believed to be realized in iron- and ruthenium-based superconductors.
I will walk you through the path from the theoretical prediction to the experimental detection of these states, with a particular emphasis on the results of a quantum simulation with Yb atoms where flavour-selective localization has been realized experimentally in a three-component system in the presence of a Raman coupling between two components ^[1]. I will briefly discuss the relation with solid-state counterparts ^[2].
I will finally address how the combined presence of large Hubbard-like repulsion and Raman processes can lead to an enhancement of chiral currents close to the Mott transition ^[3].
 
^[1] D. Tusi et al., Nat. Phys, 18, 1201 (2022)
^[2] L. de’ Medici, G. Giovannetti and M. Capone, Phys. Rev. Lett., 112, 177001(2014)
^[3] M. Ferraretto, A. Richaud, L. Del Re, L. Fallani, and M. Capone, SciPost Phys. 14, 048 (2023)