(Phys.org)—A team at Harvard University has found a way to create a cold-atom Fermi–Hubbard antiferromagnet, which offers new insight into how electrons behave in solids. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes their experiments, a new tool they developed, and what they believe they have demonstrated using cold atoms in optical lattices in exploring the Fermi–Hubbard model. Thierry Giamarchi with the University of Geneva offers a News & Views piece on the work done by the team and offers background regarding the Fermi–Hubbard model, including an explanation of why simulating the model is so important.