Towards quantum simulation with two-electron $^{173}Yb$ fermions in an optical lattice

Recent development of cooling and manipulating Ytterbium atoms opens a new avenue to investigate unprecedented atomic systems with SU(N) spin symmetry and orbital degrees of freedom. The available metastable states and narrow-line optical transitions of Ytterbium atoms allow for the versatile control of the system. Here, we first describe our apparatus for producing ultracold Ytterbium-173 quantum gases in an optical lattice. A gas of $3\times 10^4$ Ytterbium-173 atoms is routinely produced at $T/T_F \sim 0.3$, and loaded into an optical lattice potential. Then we report our recent progress on the spin orbital (SO) coupling interaction realized in optical lattice. As a novel quantum simulator, cold Ytterbium atoms with SO coupling provide a platform to explore the intriguing topological physics.