Multicriticality of two-dimensional class-D disordered topological superconductors

Abstract

A generic two-dimensional disordered topological superconductor in symmetry class D exhibits rich phenomenology and multiple phases: diffusive thermal metal (DTM), Anderson insulator (AI), and thermal quantum Hall (TQH) phase (a topological superconductor). We numerically investigate the phase diagram of a lattice model of such class D superconductor, specifically focusing on transitions between the phases and the associated universal critical behaviors. We confirm the existence of a tricritical point and its repulsive nature at the point on the phase diagram where the three phases meet. We characterize the critical behaviors at various critical points and the tricritical point using numerical evaluation of the localization length, the conductance (or conductivity), and the density of states. We conclude that the two metal-insulator transitions (DTM-TQH and DTM-AI) belong to the same universality class, whereas the tricritical point (TCP) represents a distinct universality class.