Scaling near the upper critical dimensionality in the localization theory

Abstract

The phenomenon of upper critical dimensionality d_c2 has been studied from the viewpoint of the scaling concepts. The Thouless number g(L) is not the only essential variable in scale transformations, because there is the second parameter connected with the off-diagonal disorder. The investigation of the resulting two-parameter scaling has revealed two scenarios, and the switching from one to another scenario determines the upper critical dimensionality. The first scenario corresponds to the conventional one-parameter scaling and is characterized by the parameter g(L) invariant under scale transformations when the system is at the critical point. In the second scenario, the Thouless number g(L) grows at the critical point as L^{d-d_c2}. This leads to violation of the Wegner relation s=\nu(d-2) between the critical exponents for conductivity (s) and for localization radius (\nu), which takes the form s=\nu(d_c2-2). The resulting formulas for g(L) are in agreement with the symmetry theory suggested previously [JETP 81, 925 (1995)]. A more rigorous version of Mott's argument concerning localization due topological disorder has been proposed.