Topological excitonic superfluids in three dimensions

Abstract

We study the equilibrium and nonequilibrium properties of topological dipolar intersurface exciton condensates within time-reversal invariant topological insulators in three spatial dimensions without a magnetic field. We elucidate that, in order to correctly identify the proper pairing symmetry within the condensate order parameter, the full three-dimensional Hamiltonian must be considered. As a corollary, we demonstrate that only particles with similar chirality play a significant role in condensate formation. Furthermore, we find that the intersurface exciton condensation is not suppressed by the interconnection of surfaces in three-dimensional topological insulators as the intersurface polarizability vanishes in the condensed phase. This eliminates the surface current flow leaving only intersurface current flow through the bulk. We conclude by illustrating how the excitonic superfluidity may be identified through an examination of the terminal currents above and below the condensate critical current.