Ultrafast Coupling of Optical Near Fields to Low-Energy Electrons Probed in a Point-Projection Microscope.

ABSTRACT: We report the first observation of the coupling of strong optical near fields to wavepackets of free, 100 eV electrons with <50 fs temporal resolution in an ultrafast point-projection microscope. Optical near fields are created by excitation of a thin, nanometer-sized Yagi-Uda antenna, with 20 fs near-infrared laser pulses. Phase matching between electrons and near fields is achieved due to strong spatial confinement of the antenna near field. Energy-resolved projection images of the antenna are recorded in an optical pump-electron probe scheme. We show that the phase modulation of the electron by transverse-field components results in a transient electron deflection while longitudinal near-field components broaden the kinetic energy distribution. This low-energy electron near-field coupli

SUBMITTER: Woste A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10311584 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature