Transport characteristics of bulk and edge states in an off-diagonal Aubry--André--Harper chain
TLDR
This study reveals how internal boundaries and coherence affect transport in off-diagonal Aubry-André-Harper chains.
Key contributions
- Identifies distinct transport signatures for edge, in-band bulk, and band-edge bulk states.
- Shows band-edge bulk states mimic edge states with weak size dependence.
- Demonstrates chain-electrode coupling tunes transport from tunneling to ballistic.
- Analyzes dephasing effects varying by state localization degree.
Why it matters
Understanding transport in modulated 1D systems aids design of quantum devices. This work clarifies how internal boundaries and coherence impact conduction modes.
Original Abstract
We investigate quantum transport in an off-diagonal Aubry--André--Harper chain. The periodic hopping modulation generates effective internal boundaries that strongly influence the transmission characteristics. We show that edge, in-band bulk, and band-edge bulk states can be clearly distinguished through their transport signatures. In particular, bulk states near the band edges exhibit behavior similar to edge states, with weak dependence on system size, whereas in-band bulk states display pronounced size-dependent oscillations. We further demonstrate that the chain--electrode coupling strength controls the broadening of transmission resonances and drives a crossover from tunneling-dominated to nearly ballistic transport. In addition, dephasing introduces distinct sensitivity across different state classes, depending on their degree of spatial localization. These results highlight the key role of internal boundaries and quantum coherence in governing transport in modulated one-dimensional systems.
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