Repository logo
 

Between order and disorder: ultracold atoms in a quasicrystalline optical lattice


Type

Thesis

Change log

Authors

Sbroscia, Matteo Stefano  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4101-5984

Abstract

Quasicrystals are long-range ordered and yet non-periodic. This interplay results in a wealth of intriguing physical phenomena, such as self-similarity, the inheritance of topological properties from higher dimensions, and the presence of non-trivial structure on all lengthscales.

However, quasicrystalline materials are notoriously hard to synthesise, as defects and impurities may greatly alter their final microscopic composition. The field of quantum simulation with ultracold atoms offers a solution to this problem, namely the use of optical lattices – standing waves of light. Optical lattices are free of impurities and therefore ideally suited to study quasicrystals, enabling unprecedented access to observables that are unattainable in condensed matter systems.

This study presents the first experimental realisation of a two-dimensional quasicrystalline potential for ultracold atoms, based on an eightfold symmetric optical lattice. Features pertaining to both ordered and disordered phases are observed, from sharp diffraction peaks in the matter-wave interference pattern, to a disorder-induced localised phase emerging at a critical lattice depth V_loc ~ 1.78 E_rec. The localised phase seems to be resilient against moderate interactions, which would make this the first experimental realisation of a 2D Bose glass.

Description

Date

2019-05-01

Advisors

Schneider, Ulrich

Keywords

Ultracold atoms, Optical lattices, Quasicrystals, Aperiodic order

Qualification

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Awarding Institution

University of Cambridge
Sponsorship
EPSRC

Collections