arXiv subjects

Raul Liquito

Publications and source records attributed to Raul Liquito.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Temperature-induced optical enhancement near a localization transition

Quasiperiodic systems are an intermediate class of systems between periodic crystals and disordered systems, famously exhibiting metal-insulator transitions (MITs) even in one dimension. While their transport properties have been studied extensively, a systematic analysis of the finite-frequency optical conductivity near the critical point has been lacking. In this work, we carry out a detailed study of the optical conductivity in the paradigmatic Aubry-André model. We find that the zero-temperature low-frequency optical signal is strongly restructured by the quasiperiodic potential, exhibiting an optical gap that closes discontinuously as the system approaches the MIT. Most strikingly, we uncover a mechanism for a strong enhancement of the low-frequency finite temperature optical conductivity at certain resonant frequencies. This enhancement stems from the thermal activation of Pauli-blocked transitions between strongly resonant van Hove singularities. This mechanism provides new insight into finite-frequency transport in quasiperiodic systems and a new pathway for manipulating optical properties near a localization transition. Furthermore, our findings establish the optical response as a powerful, experimentally accessible tool for probing non-trivial quasiperiodicity effects.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗

arXiv2026

Effective band-projected description of interacting quasiperiodic systems

We study the interplay between electronic interactions and quasiperiodicity in a one-dimensional narrow-band system, focusing on ground-state and low-energy excitation properties. Using band projection as low-energy effective approach, we show that a projection restricted to first order in the interaction strength fails to reproduce the correlated phase diagram. This contrasts with the standard success of first-order band projection in translationally invariant flatband systems and highlights the essential role of virtual processes involving remote bands in quasiperiodic settings. By incorporating second-order interband contributions perturbatively, we obtain an effective Hamiltonian that quantitatively reproduces the exact phase iagram previously obtained using density matrix renormalization group calculations, including the transition between a Luttinger liquid and a charge-density-wave phase and the crossover to a quasifractal charge-density-wave regime at strong quasiperiodicity. We further use this controlled framework to investigate low-energy neutral excitations and the optical conductivity, identifying clear dynamical signatures distinguishing the different phases. Our results establish second-order band projection as a reliable tool for correlated quasiperiodic narrow-band systems and suggest a promising route for studying interacting quasiperiodic and moiré materials beyond one dimension.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Quasiperiodic Quadrupole Insulators

Higher-order topological insulators are an intriguing new family of topological states that host lower-dimensional boundary states. Concurrently, quasiperiodic systems have garnered significant interest due to their complex localization and topological properties. In this work we study the impact of chiral symmetry preserving quasiperiodic modulations on the paradigmatic Benalcazar-Bernevig-Hughes model, which hosts topological insulating phases with zero-energy sublattice-polarized modes. We find that the topological properties are not only robust to the quasiperiodic modulation, but can even be enriched. In particular, we unveil the first instance of a quasiperiodic induced second-order topological insulating phase. Furthermore, in contrast with disorder, we find that quasiperiodic modulations can induce multiple reentrant topological transitions, showing an intricate sequence of localization properties. Our results open a promising avenue for exploring the rich interplay between higher-order topology and quasiperiodicity.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Fate of Quadratic Band Crossing under quasiperiodic modulation

We study the fate of two-dimensional quadratic band crossing topological phases under a one-dimensional quasiperiodic modulation. By employing numerically exact methods, we fully characterize the phase diagram of the model in terms of spectral, localization and topological properties. Unlike in the presence of regular disorder, the quadratic band crossing is stable towards the application of the quasiperiodic potential and most of the topological phase transitions occur through a gap closing and reopening mechanism, as in the homogeneous case. With a sufficiently strong quasiperiodic potential, the quadratic band crossing point splits into Dirac cones which enables transitions into gapped phases with Chern numbers $C=\pm1$, absent in the homogeneous limit. This is in sharp contrast with the disordered case, where gapless $C=\pm1$ phases can arise by perturbing the band crossing with any amount of disorder. In the quasiperiodic case, we find that the $C=\pm1$ phases can only become gapless for a very strong potential. Only in this regime, the subsequent quasiperiodic-induced topological transitions into the trivial phase mirror the well-known ``levitation and annihilation'' mechanism in the disordered case.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗