Dynamic Phase Control of a Quasiperiodic Optical Lattice

Quasicrystals, which have long-range order but no spatial periodicity, boast a richness of exotic properties. The quantum dynamical properties of quasicrystals are of particular interest since several open questions remain regarding the effects of topology and interactions, or regarding the behavior of phasonic excitations. Progress towards understanding these properties has been limited, given the difficulty or impossibility of analytical calculations, the high cost of large numerical simulations, and the difficulty of probing these properties directly in solid state systems. By building a quantum simulator of a quasicrystal, comprised of a quantum degenerate gas of lithium in a quasiperiodic optical lattice, we will investigate these quantum dynamical properties using the tools of atomic physics. Here, we describe a scheme that allows for full dynamic control of a five-beam lattice, enabling the direct study of quantum dynamics in the quasicrystal, with the goal of understanding the interplay of geometry, topology and many-body quantum mechanics in the properties of quasicrystals.