Fluctuation-dominated quantum oscillations in excitonic insulators

The realization of excitonic insulators in transition metal dichalcogenide systems has opened the door to explorations of the exotic properties that such a state exhibits. We study theoretically the potential for excitonic insulators to show an anomalous form of quantum oscillations: the de Haas–van Alphen effect in an insulating system. We focus on the role of the interactions that generate the energy gap and show that it is crucial to consider quantum fluctuations that go beyond the mean-field treatment. Remarkably, quantum fluctuations can be dominant and lead to quantum oscillations that are significantly larger than those predicted using mean-field theory. Indeed, in experimentally accessible parameter regimes these fluctuation-generated quantum oscillations can even be larger than what would be found for the corresponding gapless system. Published by the American Physical Society 2024