Ultracold fermions simulate spin–orbit coupling

Two independent groups of physicists are the first to use ultracold fermionic atoms to simulate "spin–orbit coupling" – an interaction that plays an important role in the electronic properties of solid materials. Both experiments were done by firing laser beams at the atoms, which caused their momentum to change by an amount that depends on their intrinsic spin. Because the interactions between atoms in such simulations can be adjusted with great precision, the breakthrough could shed further light on a range of physical phenomena, including magnetism, topological insulators and Majorana fermions.