We prove a conditional theorem on the positivity of the Lyapunov exponent for a Schrödinger cocycle over a skew-shift base with a cosine potential and the golden ratio as frequency. For coupling below 1, which is the threshold for Herman’s subharmonicity trick, we formulate three conditions on the Lyapunov exponent in a finite but large volume and on the associated large-deviation estimates at that scale. Our main results demonstrate that these finite-size conditions imply the positivity of the infinite-volume Lyapunov exponent. This paper shows that it is possible to make the techniques developed for the study of Schrödinger operators with deterministic potentials, based on large-deviation estimates and the avalanche principle, effective.

In this paper we perform a numerical study of the spectra, eigenstates, and Lyapunov exponents of the skew-shift counterpart to Harper’s equation. This study is motivated by various conjectures on the spectral theory of these ‘pseudo-random’ models, which are reviewed in detail in the initial sections of the paper. The numerics carried out at different scales are within agreement with the conjectures and show a striking difference compared with the spectral features of the Almost Mathieu model. In particular our numerics establish a small upper bound on the gaps in the spectrum (conjectured to be absent).