Abstract

Ultrafast transmission electron microscopy is a promising laser-pump electron-probe technique, which allows for studying ultrafast dynamics with both high spatial and temporal resolution [1]. Besides, the high spatial and temporal coherence of the pulsed electron beam enables a coherent manipulation of the free-electron quantum state [2] by inelastic scattering in optical near-fields [3-5]. Upon traversal of an intense optical near-field, the free-electron kinetic energy spectrum develops sidebands that are separated by the photon energy, which can be attributed to a sinusoidal phase modulation of the electron wavefunction. This coherent electron-light interaction opens up the new research field of free-electron quantum optics.

© 2017 IEEE