Nonreciprocal perfect Coulomb drag in electron-hole bilayers: coherent exciton superflow as a diode

Abstract

Distinguishing an exciton condensate from an excitonic gas or insulator remains a fundamental challenge, as both phases feature bound electron-hole pairs but differ only by the emergence of macroscopic phase coherence. Here, we theoretically propose that a spin-orbit-coupled bilayer system can host a finite-momentum exciton condensate exhibiting a nonreciprocal perfect Coulomb drag -- the coherent-exciton diode effect. This effect arises from the simultaneous breaking of inversion and time-reversal symmetries in the exciton condensate, resulting in direction-dependent critical counterflow currents. The resulting nonreciprocal perfect Coulomb drag provides a clear and unambiguous transport signature of phase-coherent exciton condensation, offering a powerful and experimentally accessible approach to identify, probe, and control exciton superfluidity in solid-state platforms.