Flat-band-based multifractality in the all-band-flat diamond chain

Abstract

We study the effect of quasiperiodic Aubry-Andr\'e disorder on the energy spectrum and eigenstates of a one-dimensional all-bands-flat (ABF) diamond chain. The ABF diamond chain possesses three dispersionless flat bands with all the eigenstates compactly localized on two unit cells in the zero disorder limit. The fate of the compact localized states in the presence of the disorder depends on the symmetry of the applied potential. We consider two cases here: a symmetric one, where the same disorder is applied to the top and bottom sites of a unit cell and an antisymmetric one, where the disorder applied to the top and bottom sites are of equal magnitude but with opposite signs. Remarkably, the symmetrically perturbed lattice preserves compact localization, although the degeneracy is lifted. When the lattice is perturbed antisymmetrically, not only is the degeneracy is lifted but compact localization is also destroyed. Fascinatingly, all eigenstates exhibit a multifractal nature below a critical strength of the applied potential. A central band of eigenstates continue to display an extended yet non-ergodic behaviour for arbitrarily large strengths of the potential. All other eigenstates exhibit the familiar Anderson localization above the critical potential strength. We show how the antisymmetric disordered model can be mapped to a $\frac{\pi}{4}$ rotated square lattice with nearest and selective next-nearest neighbour hopping and a staggered magnetic field - such models have been shown to exhibit multifractality. Surprisingly, the antisymmetric disorder (with an even number of unit cells) preserves chiral symmetry - we show this by explicitly writing down the chiral operator.