Higgs Amplitude Mode in BCS Superconductors Nb$_{1-x}$Ti$_{x}$N induced by Terahertz Pulse Excitation

TL;DR

This study demonstrates the excitation of the Higgs amplitude mode in Nb$_{1-x}$Ti$_{x}$N superconductors using terahertz pulses, revealing a new method for ultrafast control of superconducting states.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence of the Higgs amplitude mode in a BCS superconductor induced by terahertz pulses, a novel approach in superconductor research.

Findings

Observation of transient oscillations matching the BCS gap energy

Confirmation of the Higgs amplitude mode in Nb$_{1-x}$Ti$_{x}$N

Potential for ultrafast optical manipulation of superconductivity

Abstract

Ultrafast responses of BCS superconductor Nb1-xTixN films in a nonadiabatic excitation regime were investigated by using terahertz (THz) pump-THz probe spectroscopy. After an instantaneous excitation with the monocycle THz pump pulse, a transient oscillation emerges in the electromagnetic response in the BCS gap energy region. The oscillation frequency coincides with the asymptotic value of the BCS gap energy, indicating the appearance of the theoretically-anticipated collective amplitude mode of the order parameter, namely the Higgs amplitude mode. Our result opens a new pathway to the ultrafast manipulation of the superconducting order parameter by optical means.