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Emergence of criticality through a cascade of delocalization transitions in quasiperiodic chains
- Source :
- Nature Physics, Nature Physics, Nature Publishing Group, 2020, 16 (8), pp.832-836. ⟨10.1038/s41567-020-0908-7⟩, Nature Physics, 2020, 16 (8), pp.832-836. ⟨10.1038/s41567-020-0908-7⟩, Nature Physics, 16 (8)
- Publication Year :
- 2019
-
Abstract
- Conduction through materials crucially depends on how ordered they are. Periodically ordered systems exhibit extended Bloch waves that generate metallic bands, whereas disorder is known to limit conduction and localize the motion of particles in a medium. In this context, quasiperiodic systems, which are neither periodic nor disordered, reveal exotic conduction properties, self-similar wavefunctions, and critical phenomena. Here, we explore the localization properties of waves in a novel family of quasiperiodic chains obtained when continuously interpolating between two paradigmatic limits: the Aubry-Andr\'e model, famous for its metal-to-insulator transition, and the Fibonacci chain, known for its critical nature. Using both theoretical analysis and experiments on cavity-polariton devices, we discover that the Aubry-Andr\'e model evolves into criticality through a cascade of band-selective localization/delocalization transitions that iteratively shape the self-similar critical wavefunctions of the Fibonacci chain. Our findings offer (i) a unique new insight into understanding the criticality of quasiperiodic chains, (ii) a controllable knob by which to engineer band-selective pass filters, and (iii) a versatile experimental platform with which to further study the interplay of many-body interactions and dissipation in a wide range of quasiperiodic models.<br />Comment: 7 pages, 4 figures + supplementary material (9 pages, 6 figures, 2 videos), comments are welcome
- Subjects :
- Physics
[PHYS]Physics [physics]
Fibonacci number
Condensed matter physics
Condensed Matter - Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Critical phenomena
FOS: Physical sciences
General Physics and Astronomy
Context (language use)
Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn)
Condensed Matter - Disordered Systems and Neural Networks
01 natural sciences
010305 fluids & plasmas
Delocalized electron
Criticality
Cascade
Quasiperiodic function
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics (cond-mat.mes-hall)
0103 physical sciences
010306 general physics
ComputingMilieux_MISCELLANEOUS
[PHYS.COND.CM-MSQHE]Physics [physics]/Condensed Matter [cond-mat]/Mesoscopic Systems and Quantum Hall Effect [cond-mat.mes-hall]
Bloch wave
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 17452473 and 14764636
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Nature Physics, Nature Physics, Nature Publishing Group, 2020, 16 (8), pp.832-836. ⟨10.1038/s41567-020-0908-7⟩, Nature Physics, 2020, 16 (8), pp.832-836. ⟨10.1038/s41567-020-0908-7⟩, Nature Physics, 16 (8)
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....b608608f5fb86ee2123f7d25320eb809
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-020-0908-7⟩