Fluctuational internal Josephson effect in topological insulator film

Abstract

Tunneling between opposite surfaces of topological insulator thin film populated by electrons and holes is considered. We predict considerable enhancement of tunneling conductivity by Cooper electron-hole pair fluctuations that are precursor of their Cooper pairing. Cooper pair fluctuations lead to the critical behavior of tunneling conductivity in vicinity of critical temperature with critical index \nu=2. If the pairing is suppressed by disorder the behavior of tunneling conductivity in vicinity of quantum phase transition is also critical with the index \mu=2. The effect can be interpreted as fluctuational internal Josephson effect and it is general phenomenon for electron-hole bilayers. The peculiarities of the effect in other realizations of electron-hole bilayer are discussed.