> “The detection of the axial Higgs was predicted in high-energy particle physics to explain dark matter. 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 tabletop experiment where we achieve quantum control of the mode by just changing the polarisation of light.”
> Burch believes the simple setup provides opportunities for using similar experiments in other areas. “Many of these experiments were performed by an undergraduate in my lab,” he says. “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.”
> “The detection of the axial Higgs was predicted in high-energy particle physics to explain dark matter. 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 tabletop experiment where we achieve quantum control of the mode by just changing the polarisation of light.”
> Burch believes the simple setup provides opportunities for using similar experiments in other areas. “Many of these experiments were performed by an undergraduate in my lab,” he says. “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.”