Abstract
Spatiotemporal electron-beam shaping is a bold frontier of electron microscopy. Over the past decade, shaping methods evolved from static phase plates to low-speed electrostatic and magnetostatic displays. Recently, a swift change of paradigm utilizing light to control free electrons has emerged. Here, we experimentally demonstrate arbitrary transverse modulation of electron beams without complicated electron-optics elements or material nanostructures, but rather using shaped light beams. On-demand spatial modulation of electron wavepackets is obtained via inelastic interaction with transversely shaped ultrafast light fields controlled by an external spatial light modulator. We illustrate this method for the cases of Hermite-Gaussian and Laguerre-Gaussian modulation and discuss their use in enhancing microscope sensitivity. Our approach dramatically widens the range of patterns that can be imprinted on the electron profile and greatly facilitates tailored electron-beam shaping.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 3215-3224 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| Journal | ACS Photonics |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue number | 10 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 19 Oct 2022 |
Keywords
- PINEM
- electron-beam shaping
- electron-photon interaction
- spatial light modulator
- ultrafast transmission electron microscopy
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Materials
- Biotechnology
- Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
- Electrical and Electronic Engineering