Non-Hermitian quasicrystal in dimerized lattices

Abstract

Non-Hermitian quasicrystals possess PT and metal-insulator transitions induced by gain and loss or nonreciprocal effects. In this work, we uncover the nature of localization transitions in a generalized Aubry-Andre-Harper model with dimerized hopping amplitudes and complex onsite potential. By investigating the spectrum, adjacent gap ratios and inverse participation ratios, we find an extended phase, a localized phase and a mobility edge phase, which are originated from the interplay between hopping dimerizations and non-Hermitian onsite potential. The lower and upper bounds of the mobility edge are further characterized by a pair of topological winding numbers, which undergo quantized jumps at the boundaries between different phases. Our discoveries thus unveil the richness of topological and transport phenomena in dimerized non-Hermitian quasicrystals.