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    Exact mobility edges in a disorder-free dimerized Stark lattice with effective unbounded hopping

    Yunyao Qi1, Heng Lin1, Quanfeng Lu1, Dong Ruan1,2,*, and Gui-Lu Long1,2,3,4,†

    • *Contact author: dongruan@tsinghua.edu.cn
    • †Contact author: gllong@tsinghua.edu.cn

    Phys. Rev. B 113, 104206 – Published 30 March, 2026

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/n49b-rtcz

    Abstract

    We propose a disorder-free one-dimensional single-particle Hamiltonian hosting an exact mobility edge (ME), placing the system outside the assumptions of no-go theorems regarding unbounded potentials. By applying a linear Stark potential selectively to one sublattice of a dimerized chain, we generate an effective Hamiltonian with unbounded, staggered hopping amplitudes. The unbounded nature of the hopping places the model outside the scope of the Simon-Spencer theorem, while the staggered scaling allows it to evade broader constraints on Jacobi matrices. We analytically derive the bulk spectrum in reciprocal space, identifying a sharp ME where the energy magnitude equals the intercell hopping strength. This edge separates a continuum of extended states from two distinct localized branches: a standard unbounded Wannier-Stark ladder and an anomalous bounded branch accumulating at the ME. The existence of extended states is supported by finite-size scaling of the inverse participation ratio up to system sizes L∼109. Furthermore, we propose an experimental realization using photonic frequency synthetic dimensions. Our numerical results indicate that the ME is robust against potential experimental imperfections, including frequency detuning errors and photon loss, establishing a practical path for observing MEs in disorder-free systems.

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