Approximately half a century ago, electron microscopy opened a window into the nanoworld. Imaging individual nano-objects and even atoms within materials has now become routine. Beyond static imaging, ultrafast electron microscopy aims to extend the capabilities of conventional microscopes into the time domain. Achieving complex spatio-temporal imaging requires innovative methodologies that enable precise control of electron beams on ultrafast timescales while maintaining high spatial resolution.
This project has three primary objectives. The first is to develop advanced methods for spatio-temporal shaping of electron beams using the ponderomotive potential of electromagnetic fields generated by pulsed lasers. Such tailored electron beams will be employed in various experiments. The second goal is to explore the transfer of coherence imprinted by optical fields to electrons, with the aim of producing coherent photon emission through the process of coherent cathodoluminescence. Additionally, we will investigate the potential for temporally shaped electron pulses—containing multiple electrons—to coherently excite two-level quantum systems. The third objective is to demonstrate a novel form of spatio-temporal electron holography, an interferometric technique capable of reconstructing the amplitude and phase of optical or plasmonic near-fields generated by coherent illumination of nanostructures.
The outcomes of this research will advance the field of time-resolved electron microscopy, providing new methods to observe ultrafast electronic dynamics and the spatial-temporal evolution of electromagnetic fields with nanometer spatial and attosecond temporal resolutions. Furthermore, the project may have significant technological implications for electron microscopy, with some methods potentially leading to commercial applications.
