Anderson localization in bipartite lattices

We study the localization properties of a disordered tight-binding Hamiltonian on a generic bipartite lattice close to the band center. By means of a fermionic replica trick method, we derive the effective non-linear sigma-model describing the diffusive modes, which we analyse by using the Wilson-Polyakov renormalization group. In addition to the standard parameters which define the non-linear sigma-model, namely, the conductance and the external frequency, a new parameter enters, which may be related to the fluctuations of the staggered density of states. We find that, when both the regular hopping and the disorder only couple one sublattice to the other, the quantum corrections to the Kubo conductivity vanish at the band center, thus implying the existence of delocalized states. In two dimensions, the RG equations predict that the conductance flows to a finite value, while both the density of states and the staggered density of states fluctuations diverge. In three dimensions, we find that, sufficiently close to the band center, all states are extended, independently of the disorder strength. We also discuss the role of various symmetry breaking terms, as a regular hopping between same sublattices, or an on-site disorder. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.