Recent advances in realizing artificial gauge fields on optical lattices promise experimental detection of topologically non-trivial energy spectra. Self-similar fractal energy structures generally known as Hofstadter butterflies depend sensitively on the geometry of the underlying lattice, as well as the applied magnetic field. The recent demonstration of an adjustable lattice geometry [L. Tarruell et al., Nature 483, 302-305 (2012)] presents a unique opportunity to study this dependence. In this paper, we calculate the Hofstadter butterflies that can be obtained in such an adjustable lattice and find three qualitatively different regimes. We show that the existence of Dirac points at zero magnetic field does not imply the topological equivalence of spectra at finite field. As the realspace structure evolves from the checkerboard lattice to the honeycomb lattice, two square lattice Hofstadter butterflies merge to form a honeycomb lattice butterfly. This merging is topologically non-trivial, as it is accomplished by sequential closings of gaps. Ensuing Chern number transfer between the bands can be probed with the adjustable lattice experiments. We also calculate the Chern numbers of the gaps for qualitatively different spectra and discuss the evolution of topological properties with underlying lattice geometry.

The self-similar energy spectrum of a particle in a periodic potential under a magnetic field, known as the Hofstadter butterfly, is determined by the lattice geometry as well as the external field. Recent realizations of artificial gauge fields and adjustable optical lattices in cold atom experiments necessitate the consideration of these self-similar spectra for the most general two-dimensional lattice. In a previous work, we investigated the evolution of the spectrum for an experimentally realized lattice which was tuned by changing the unit cell structure but keeping the square Bravais lattice fixed. We now consider all possible Bravais lattices in two dimensions and investigate the structure of the Hofstadter butterfly as the lattice is deformed between lattices with different point symmetry groups. We model the optical lattice by a sinusoidal real space potential and obtain the tight binding model for any lattice geometry by calculating the Wannier functions. We introduce the magnetic field via Peierls substitution and numerically calculate the energy spectrum. The transition between the two most symmetric lattices, i.e. the triangular and the square lattice displays the importance of bipartite symmetry featuring deformation as well as closing of some of the major energy gaps. The transition from the square to rectangular and from the triangular to centered rectangular lattices are analyzed in terms of coupling of one-dimensional chains. We calculate the Chern numbers of the major gaps and Chern number transfer between bands during the transitions. We use gap Chern numbers to identify distinct topological regions in the space of Bravais lattices.

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Recent cold atom experiments have realized models where each hyperfine state at an optical lattice site can be regarded as a separate site in a synthetic dimension. In such synthetic ribbon configurations, manipulation of the transitions between the hyperfine levels provide direct control of the hopping in the synthetic dimension. This effect was used to simulate a magnetic field through the ribbon. Precise control over the hopping matrix elements in the synthetic dimension makes it possible to change this artificial magnetic field much faster than the time scales associated with atomic motion in the lattice. In this paper, we consider such a magnetic flux quench scenario in synthetic dimensions. Sudden changes have not been considered for real magnetic fields as such changes in a conducting system would result in large induced currents. Hence, we first study the difference between a time varying real magnetic field and an artificial magnetic field using a minimal six site model. This minimal model clearly shows the connection between gauge dependence and the lack of on site induced scalar potential terms. We then investigate the dynamics of a wavepacket in an infinite two or three leg ladder following a flux quench and find that the gauge choice has a dramatic effect on the packet dynamics. Specifically, a wavepacket splits into a number of smaller packets moving with different velocities. Both the weights and the number of packets depend on the implemented gauge. If an initial packet, prepared under zero flux in a n-leg ladder, is quenched to Hamiltonian with a vector potential parallel to the ladder; it splits into at most n smaller wavepackets. The same initial wavepacket splits into up to n 2 packets if the vector potential is implemented to be along the rungs. Even a trivial difference in the gauge choice such as the addition of a constant to the vector potential produces observable effects. We also calculate the packet weights for arbitrary initial and final fluxes. Finally, we show that edge states in a thick ribbon are robust under the quench only when the same gap supports an edge state for the final Hamiltonian. * firat.yilmaz@bilkent.edu.tr 2

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