The axial Higgs mode, a magnetic relative of the mass-defining Higgs Boson particle, has been discovered by an interdisciplinary team led by Boston College physicists.

The findings of the study were published in the journal Nature.

The discovery of the long-sought Higgs Boson a decade ago revolutionized our understanding of mass. According to Kenneth Burch, a primary co-author of the article “Axial Higgs Mode Detected by Quantum Pathway Interference in RTe3,” the axial Higgs mode has a magnetic moment, which necessitates a more sophisticated form of the theory to explain its features.

Theories that anticipated the existence of such a mode have been used to explain “dark matter,” the nearly invisible stuff that makes up much of the cosmos but can only be seen by gravity, according to Burch.

Unlike the Higgs Boson, which was discovered by tests in a huge particle collider, the researchers concentrated on RTe3, or rare-earth tritelluride, a well-studied quantum material that can be probed in a “tabletop” experimental configuration at room temperature.

“It’s not every day you find a new particle sitting on your tabletop, “Burch explained.

According to Burch, RTe3 possesses features that are similar to the theory that produces the axial Higgs phase. The main issue in identifying Higgs particles in general, he said, is their weak connection to experimental probes like light beams. Similarly, uncovering the delicate quantum features of particles frequently necessitates elaborate experimental setups that include massive magnets and high-powered lasers, as well as freezing samples to extremely low temperatures.

The team claims to have overcome these obstacles by employing a novel method of light scattering and selecting the right quantum simulator, which is simply a material that mimics the needed qualities for investigation.

The researchers focused on a chemical that has long been recognized to have a “charge density wave,” or a condition in which electrons self-organize with a periodic density in space, according to Burch.

He also said that the basic theory of this wave is like parts of the standard model of particle physics. The charge density wave, on the other hand, is particularly unique in this situation; it appears considerably beyond room temperature and comprises modulation of both the charge density and the atomic orbits. This enables the Higgs Boson associated with this charge density wave to have extra properties, such as being axial, or containing angular momentum.

Burch added that the researchers used light scattering, in which a laser is shone on the material and causes color and polarization changes, to expose the delicate nature of this mode. The Higgs Boson in the material is responsible for the change in hue, whereas the polarization is dependent on the particle’s symmetry components.

Furthermore, the particle might be generated with varied components – such as one without magnetism or one pointing up – by carefully selecting the incident and outgoing polarization. They leveraged the fact that these components cancel in one configuration, which is a fundamental property of quantum physics. They do, however, add for a distinct setup.

Burch explained, “As such, we were able to reveal the hidden magnetic component and prove the discovery of the first axial Higgs mode.”

“The detection of the axial Higgs was predicted in high-energy particle physics to explain dark matter,” Burch added. “However, it has never been observed. Its appearance in a condensed matter system was completely surprising and heralds the discovery of a new broken symmetry state that had not been predicted. Unlike the extreme conditions typically required to observe new particles, this was done at room temperature in a table top experiment where we achieve quantum control of the mode by just changing the polarization of light .”

The team’s ostensibly simple and accessible experimental procedures, according to Burch, can be used to research in other fields.

“Many of these experiments were performed by an undergraduate in my lab,” Burch stated. “The approach can be straightforwardly applied to the quantum properties of numerous collective phenomena including modes in superconductors, magnets, ferroelectrics, and charge density waves. Furthermore, we bring the study of quantum interference in materials with correlated and/or topological phases to room temperature overcoming the difficulty of extreme experimental conditions .”

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