Tunable-spin-model generation with spin-orbit-coupled fermions in optical lattices

We study the dynamical behavior of ultracold fermionic atoms loaded into an optical lattice under the presence of an effective magnetic flux, induced by spin-orbit-coupled laser driving. At half-filling, the resulting system can emulate a variety of iconic spin-1/2 models such as an Ising model, an XY model, a generic XXZ model with arbitrary anisotropy, or a collective one-axis twisting model. The validity of these different spin models is...