Demonstrating the existence of excitonic insulators remains a significant challenge despite improvements in materials synthesis and spectroscopic tools. These unusual materials rely on a ground state formed by spontaneously interacting electron-hole pairs, differing fundamentally from traditional insulators. Researchers are now focusing on layered chalcogenides and even artificial excitonic platforms as potential candidates for realizing this elusive state. The team outlines essential theoretical ingredients and experimental fingerprints, proposing strategies to distinguish excitonic order from competing phases and identifying frontiers for the next decade of research.
Strategies to Distinguish Excitonic Order from Competing Insulating Phases
Distinguishing excitonic order from other insulating states requires identifying signatures beyond standard spectroscopic techniques. Layered chalcogenides, both in two and three dimensions, are receiving increased attention as potential hosts for these excitonic states, alongside the more novel development of artificial excitonic platforms. “We survey the rapidly expanding family of candidate materials,” the review states, highlighting the growing interest in these systems. Successfully isolating excitonic order is important because it represents a fundamentally different ground state than traditional insulators.
Source: https://www.ifimac.uam.es/research-highlights/articles/excitonic-order-in-quantum-materials/
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