Role of spin degrees of freedom in Anderson localization of two-dimensional particle gases with random spin-orbit interactions

摘要

Anderson localization of two-dimensional noninteracting high-spin particle gases subject to random spin-orbit coupling and random on-site potential is numerically studied on square lattices. Employing the finite-size scaling of localization length, we show that the Anderson localization transition occurs for high-spin fermions and belongs to the same universality class as two-dimensional systems with time-reversal symmetry and spin-orbit interaction characterized by the universal critical exponent of nu similar or equal to 2.73, while all states of disordered bosons are localized in the thermodynamic limit. These observations are commensurate with the scaling theory. Moreover, a strong finite-size effect is observed for high-spin particles, which can be attributed to the large spin degrees of freedom acting as an extra spin dimension in finite lattices. As a consequence, the system indeed behaves as a three-dimensional system and the Anderson localization transition can even happen for bosons with very large spins when the spin degrees of freedom is comparable to the lattice size.