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arXiv · 2312.00976

Reversible phasonic control of a quantum phase transition in a quasicrystal

Toshihiko Shimasaki·Yifei Bai·H. Esat Kondakci·Peter Dotti·Jared E. Pagett·Anna R. Dardia·Max Prichard·André Eckardt·David M. Weld
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Abstract

Periodic driving can tune the quasistatic properties of quantum matter. A well-known example is the dynamical modification of tunneling by an oscillating electric field. Here we show experimentally that driving the phasonic degree of freedom of a cold-atom quasicrystal can continuously tune the effective quasi-disorder strength, reversibly toggling a localization-delocalization quantum phase transition. Measurements agree with fit-parameter-free theoretical predictions, and illuminate a fundamental connection between Aubry-Andr\'e localization in one dimension and dynamic localization in the associated two-dimensional Harper-Hofstadter model. These results open up new experimental possibilities for dynamical coherent control of quantum phase transitions.

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Toshihiko Shimasaki, Yifei Bai, H. Esat Kondakci, Peter Dotti, Jared E. Pagett, Anna R. Dardia, Max Prichard, André Eckardt, David M. Weld. 2023-12-02. Reversible phasonic control of a quantum phase transition in a quasicrystal. https://arxiv.org/abs/2312.00976

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