Magnetic field control over the axialness of Higgs modes in charge-density wave compounds

Abstract

Understanding how symmetry-breaking processes generate order out of disorder is among the most fundamental problems of nature. The scalar Higgs mode - a massive (quasi-) particle - is a key ingredient in these processes and emerges with the spontaneous breaking of a continuous symmetry. Its related exotic and elusive axial counterpart, a Boson with vector character, can be stabilized through the simultaneous breaking of multiple continuous symmetries. Here, we employ a magnetic field to tune the recently discovered axial Higgs-type charge-density wave amplitude modes in rare-earth tritellurides. We demonstrate a proportionality between the axial Higgs component and the applied field, and a 90${}^{\circ }$ phase shift upon changing the direction of the B-field. This indicates that the axial character is directly related to magnetic degrees of freedom. Our approach opens up an in-situ control over the axialness of emergent Higgs modes.

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• ARPES Study of the Evolution of Band Structure and Charge Density Wave Properties in RTe3 for R = Y, La, Ce, Sm, Gd, Tb and Dy
• Alternative route to charge density wave formation in multiband systems
• Pressure dependence of the charge-density-wave and superconducting states in GdTe${}_3$, TbTe${}_3$ and DyTe${}_3$
• A Cleanroom in a Glovebox

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Energetically Favored One-Dimensional Moiré Superstructure in the Pseudo-Square Lattice GdTe3