A Fermi gas in a time-dependent optical box.

Rapid control of optical potential geometries with digital micromirror devices (DMDs) enables intriguing possibilities for studying quantum gases in dynamically malleable traps. In this talk, we present the realization of such a system, a textbook thought experiment consisting of a gas in a box potential with a time-dependent size, i.e., an implementation of a "piston of light". Using grey-scale control and different DMD movies, we tune the speed and stiffness of the "piston," studying the dynamics of a Fermi gas subjected to expansion and compression via the motion of the trap walls.