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Probing topology in thin films with quantum Sondheimer oscillations

Léo Mangeolle and Johannes Knolle

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Phys. Rev. B 114, 225108 – Published 5 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/l1gl-xdvv

Abstract

Sondheimer oscillations (SO) are magnetoresistance oscillations occurring in thin films due to the commensurability between cyclotron motion and sample thickness, and are traditionally regarded as a purely semiclassical size effect. Here we develop a general quantum theory of SO for thin-film conductors in the quantum limit of a large magnetic field. We show that corrections arising from band topology modify the SO frequency, in contrast to Shubnikov–de Haas oscillations where topological information appears only in the phase. As a consequence, quantum SO provide a direct and robust probe of the full Landau level spectrum. Applying our framework to a minimal model with tunable Berry phase, we demonstrate how topology manifests itself in experimentally accessible magneto-oscillation spectra and discuss damping mechanisms including surface roughness.

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Outline

Information

Phys. Rev. B 114, 225108– Published 5 October, 2026
  • Received 13 April 2026
  • Revised 31 August 2026
  • Accepted 11 September 2026
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Published by the American Physical Society under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license. Further distribution of this work must maintain attribution to the author(s) and the published article's title, journal citation, and DOI.

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