Resonances, mobility edges, and gap-protected Anderson localization in generalized disordered mosaic lattices

Abstract

Mosaic lattice models have been recently introduced as a special class of disordered systems displaying resonance energies, multiple mobility edges, and anomalous transport properties. In such systems on-site potential disorder, either uncorrelated or incommensurate, is introduced solely at every equally spaced site within the lattice, with a spacing 𝑀≥2. A remarkable property of disordered mosaic lattices is the persistence of extended states at some resonance frequencies that prevent complete Anderson localization, even in the strong disorder regime. Here we introduce a broader class of mosaic lattices and derive general expressions of mobility edges and localization length for incommensurate sinusoidal disorder, which generalize previous results [Y. Wang et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 125, 196604 (2020).]. For both incommensurate and uncorrelated disorder, we prove that Anderson localization is protected by the open gaps of the disorder-free lattice, and derive some general criteria for complete Anderson localization. The results are illustrated by considering a few models, such as the mosaic Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model and the trimer mosaic lattice.