Pseudo-critical localization

Abstract:We uncover a novel localization phenomenon, termed pseudo-critical localization, in non-Hermitian critical systems. This phenomenon is induced by the synergistic interplay between weak localization and non-Hermitian skin effects. It exhibits critical-like behavior at finite scales and undergoes a crossover to Anderson localization as the system size increases, which is in sharp contrast to critical localization that universally exhibits persistent criticality in the thermodynamic limit. Concretely, we use the non-Hermitian quasiperiodic mosaic model and non-reciprocal Aubry--André model as minimal models to present the general features of size-dependent critical localization, and use entanglement entropy analysis to confirm the size-dependent nature. This discovery challenges the established paradigm of critical localization, opening new avenues for understanding and controlling critical behavior in non-Hermitian systems.

7 pages, 4 figures in the main text; 11 pages, 9 figures in the Supplemental Material. The paper has been accepted by SCIENCE CHINA Physics, Mechanics & Astronomy

Disordered Systems and Neural Networks (cond-mat.dis-nn); Quantum Physics (quant-ph)

arXiv:2509.18943 [cond-mat.dis-nn]

(or arXiv:2509.18943v3 [cond-mat.dis-nn] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.1360/s11433-026-3154-7 DOI(s) linking to related resources