1302.6376 (Hong-Yi Xie et al.)

Survival of the fastest: Localization in coupled, heterogeneously
disordered transport channels on the Bethe lattice    [PDF]

Hong-Yi Xie, M. Müller

We study the Anderson localization in systems, in which transport channels with rather different properties are coupled together. This problem arises naturally in systems of hybrid particles, such as exciton-polaritons, where it is not obvious which transport channel dominates the coupled system. Here we address the question whether the coupling between a strongly and a weakly disordered channel will result in localized (insulating) or delocalized (metallic) behavior. Complementing an earlier study in 1D [Xie, Kravtsov, and M\"uller, Phys. Rev. B \textbf{86}, 014205 (2012)], the problem is solved here on a bilayer Bethe lattice with parametrically different parameters. The comparison with the analytical solution in 1D shows that dimensionality plays a crucial role. In D=1 localization is in general dominated by the dirtier channel, which sets the backscattering rate. In contrast, on the Bethe lattice a delocalized channel remains almost always delocalized, even when coupled to strongly localized channels. We conjecture that this phenomenology holds true for finite dimensions $D>2$ as well. Possible implications for interacting many body systems are discussed.

View original: http://arxiv.org/abs/1302.6376