Cold fermions and quantum simulation

Some twenty years ago, a new field of research was born at the frontiers of quantum optics and Quantum Condensed Matter Physics: the study of atomic gases of cold fermions trapped in an optical lattice, paving the way for the "analog simulation" of systems of many interacting quantum particles. Where do we stand today? Have these experimental devices made it possible to reach the regimes where emerging collective phenomena such as magnetism and superconductivity can be observed? How does the performance of quantum simulation in this context compare with that of classical simulation algorithms, which have also made considerable progress? These are the questions that this year's lecture, while providing an introduction to the field, will attempt to answer.