  We describe the dynamical preparation of anisotropic crystalline phases
obtained by laser-exciting ultracold Alkali atoms to Rydberg p-states where
they interact via anisotropic van der Waals interactions. We develop a time-
dependent variational mean field ansatz to model large, but finite
two-dimensional systems in experimentally accessible parameter regimes, and we
present numerical simulations to illustrate the dynamical formation of
anisotropic Rydberg crystals.
