Different topological phase transitions in the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model under different disorder structures

Abstract

We investigate the topological phase transition in the Su–Schrieffer–Heeger model with the long-range hopping and quasi-periodic modulation. By numerically calculating the real-space winding number, we obtain topological phase diagrams for different disordered structures. These diagrams suggest that topological phase transitions are different by selecting the specific disordered structure. When quasi-periodic modulation is applied to intracell hopping, the resulting disorder induces topological Anderson insulator (TAI) phase with high winding number (W = 2), but the topological states are destroyed as the disorder increases. Conversely, when intercell hoppings are modulated quasi-periodically, both TAI phase and the process of destruction and restoration of topological zero modes can be induced by disorder. These topological states remain robust even under strong disorder conditions. Our work demonstrates that disorder effects do not always disrupt topological states; rather, with a judicious selection of disordered structures, topological properties can be preserved.