Axial Higgs Mode from Quantum Geometry and a Charge Density Wave

ORAL  · Invited

Abstract

The observation of the Higgs boson solidified the standard model of particle physics. However, explanations of anomalies (e.g., dark matter) rely on further symmetry breaking, calling for a yet-to-be-discovered axial Higgs mode. In condensed matter, the Higgs mode has been observed in magnetic, superconducting, and charge density wave systems (CDW), and is typically assumed to have a scalar representation. Uncovering the vector properties of a low energy mode is extremely challenging, requiring going beyond typical spectroscopic or scattering techniques to reveal the hidden aspects of their wavefunctions. Here, we discover an unconventional axial Higgs mode of the charge density wave in the GdTe3. The Axial Higgs mode is revealed using the interference of excitation quantum pathways in Raman scattering. I will discuss how the Axial Higgs mode emerges from the combination of the quantum geometry of the Fermi surface and the charge density wave, opening opportunities for new topological-correlated states in 2D systems. Furthermore, this technique can be extended to detect novel topological orders in other CDW and superconducting systems.

*Y.W. is grateful for the support of the Office of Naval Research under award number N00014-20-1-2308. K.S.B. and L.M.S. acknowledge joint support by the Air Force office of Scientific Research under award number FA9550-20-1-0246. The work of G.M. was supported by the National Science Foundation via award DMR-2003343. M.M.H. acknowledges the primary support of the US Department of Energy (DOE), Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences under award number DE-SC0018675.

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Publication: Nature 606, 896 (2022)

Presenters

  • Kenneth S Burch

    • Boston College

Authors

  • Kenneth S Burch

    • Boston College

  • Yiping Wang

    • Boston College

  • Grant McNamara

    • Boston College
    • Boston college

  • Ioannis Petrides

    • Harvard University

  • Shiming Lei

    • Rice University
    • Rice university

  • YUEH-CHUN WU

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • James L Hart

    • Cornell University

  • Jun Yan

    • University of Massachusetts Amherst

  • Di Xiao

    • University of Washington
    • 1. Department of Materials Science & Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98915 2. Department of Physics, University of Washington, Seattle WA 98915
    • Department of Materials Science & Engineering, Department of Physics, University of Washington; Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

  • Judy J Cha

    • Cornell University

  • Prineha Narang

    • Harvard University
    • University of California, Los Angeles
    • UCLA

  • Leslie M Schoop

    • Princeton University