Proposed realization of critical regions in a one-dimensional flat band lattice with a quasi-periodic potential

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how critical regions can be realized in a one-dimensional flat band lattice with a quasi-periodic potential, revealing rich physics including phase transitions, localization properties, and critical indices.

Contribution

It introduces a method to realize critical regions in flat band lattices by reducing them to an effective Aubry-Andr model, analyzing phase transitions and localization phenomena.

Findings

Exact expressions for Lyapunov exponent, mobility edges, and critical indices.

Identification of localized, extended, and critical regions in parameter space.

Discontinuous derivative of Lyapunov exponent at the transition point.

Abstract

In the previous work, the concept of critical region in a generalized Aubry-Andr\'{e} model (Ganeshan-Pixley-Das Sarma's model) has been set up. In this work we propose that the critical region can be realized in a one-dimensional flat band lattice system with a quasi-periodic potential. It is found that the above flat band lattice model can be reduced into an effective Ganeshan-Pixley-Das Sarma's model where the effective parameter $\alpha=V_0/(2E)$ with potential strength $V_0$ and eigenenergy $E$. It is shown that there are very rich physics in this model. Depending on $|\alpha|<1$ or $|\alpha|\geq1$, the effective quasi-periodic potential would be bounded or unbounded. For these two cases, the Lyapunov exponent [$\gamma(E)$], mobility edges ($E_c$) and critical indices ($\nu$) of localized length are obtained exactly. In addition, several localized state regions, extended state regions and critical regions would appear in the parameter $V_0-E$ plane. For a given potential strength $V_0$, the localized-extended and localized-critical transitions can co-exist. Furthermore, we find the critical index of localized length $\xi(E)=1/\gamma(E)$ is $\nu=1$ near localized-extended transitions and $\nu=1/2$ near the localized-critical transitions. Near the transition point between the bound ($|\alpha|<1$) and unbounded ($|\alpha|\geq1$) cases, i.e, $|\alpha|=|V_0/(2E)|= 1$, the derivative of Lypunov exponent of localized states with respect to energy is discontinuous. The localized states in bounded and unbounded cases can be distinguished from each other by Avila's acceleration. At the end, we find that near the transition point, there also exist critical-extended transitions in the phase diagram.