Delocalization phenomena in one-dimensional models with long-range correlated disorder: a perturbative approach

Abstract

We study the nature of electronic states in one-dimensional continuous models with weak correlated disorder. Using a perturbative approach, we compute the inverse localisation length (Lyapunov exponent) up to terms proportional to the fourth power of the potential; this makes possible to analyse the delocalisation transition which takes place when the disorder exhibits specific long-range correlations. We find that the transition consists in a change of the Lyapunov exponent, which switches from a quadratic to a quartic dependence on the strength of the disorder. Within the framework of the fourth-order approximation, we also discuss the different localisation properties which distinguish Gaussian from non-Gaussian random potentials.