Quantum Metric Length as a Fundamental Length Scale in Disordered Flat Band Materials

Abstract

Our previous understanding of electronic transport in disordered systems was based on the assumption that there is a finite Fermi velocity for the relevant electrons. The Fermi velocity determines important length scales in disordered systems such as the diffusion length and the localization length. However, in disordered systems with vanishing or nearly vanishing Fermi velocity, it is uncertain what determines the important length scales in such systems. In this work, we use the 1D Lieb lattice with isolated flat bands as an example to show that the quantum metric length (QML) is a fundamental length scale in the ballistic, diffusive and localization regimes. The QML is defined through the Bloch state wave functions of the flat bands. In the ballistic regime with short junctions, the QML controls the finite energy transport properties. In the localization regime with long junctions, the localization length is determined by the QML and remarkably, independent of disorder strength over a wide range of disorder strength. We call this unconventional localization regime, the quantum metric localization regime. In the diffusive regime, we demonstrate that the diffusion coefficient is linearly proportional to the QML via the wave-packet dynamics numerically. Importantly, the numerical results are consistent with the analytical results obtained through the Bethe-Salpeter equation. We conclude that the QML is a fundamentally important length scale governing the properties of disordered flat band materials.