A long-lived Higgs mode in a two-dimensional confined Fermi gas

Understand

The Higgs mode corresponds to the collective motion of particles due to the vibrations of an invisible field.

• It plays a fundamental role for our understanding of both low and high energy physics, giving elementary particles their mass and leading to collective modes in condensed matter and nuclear systems.
• The Higgs mode has been observed in a limited number of table-top systems, where it however is characterised by a short lifetime due to decay into a continuum of modes.
• A major goal which has remained elusive so far, is therefore to realise a long-lived Higgs mode in a controllable system.