We study the nonlinear optical response in a superconducting NbN thin film with a strong terahertz (THz) wave. In. addition to the expected third-harmonic generation, we observe a transient oscillation which softens in frequency with temperature increasing towards the superconducting transition temperature $T_c$. We identify this feature as transient Higgs oscillation. To verify this proposal, we introduce a time-frequency resolved technique, a spectrogram for visualizing the THz spectrum. The dynamic decaying behavior of the oscillation is observed, which is consistent with the theoretical expectation of intrinsic Higgs oscillation. Moreover, we observe a higher-order nonlinear optics effect, i.e., fifth-harmonic generation, which we assign to the higher-order coupling between the Higgs mode and electromagnetic field.

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• Nonlinear optics
• Optical conductivity
• Superconductivity
• Third order nonlinear optical processes
• Superconductors
• Terahertz techniques