Extended states and dynamical localization in the random-dimer model

Abstract

We study quantum diffusion of wavepackets in one-dimensional random binary subject to an applied electric field. We consider three different cases: Periodic, random, and random dimer (paired) lattices. We analyze the spatial extent of electronic wavepackets by means of the time-dependent inverse participatio ratio. We show that the delocalized states recently found in random dimer lattices become spatially localized under the action of the applied field (dynamical localization) but wavepackets are much less localized than in purely random lattices. We conclude that the resonant tunneling effects causing delocalization play an important role even in the presence of the electric field.