Strongly interacting fermionic atoms in a synthetic flux ladder

Understanding the behavior of strongly interacting electrons in solids under strong magnetic fields has been a paradigmatic goal of physics research. Ultracold alkaline-earth atoms (AEAs) loaded in optical lattices featuring a clean, isolated and controllable environment are emerging as powerful quantum simulators which can shed light into this challenging problem. A unique appeal of AEAs fermionic atoms featuring n internal levels is their unique Su(n) symmetric collisions. Here I will discuss our studies on dynamical behaviors of SU(n) interacting fermionic AEAs subject to an effective magnetic field. This system can be engineered by coupling the n internal levels of the atoms, which can be visualized as a synthetic spatial dimension, by appropriate laser drives. I will focus on the dense and strongly interacting regime where our studies reveal rich and interesting behaviors generated by the interplay between strong SU(n) interactions, the external magnetic flux and particle motion all observable at conditions currently accessible in state-of-the art experiments.