Project description
An ultrafast interferometer to unlock electron phase
Electron emission underpins processes ranging from photoionisation to radiation damage. Spectroscopy can measure the intensity of emitted electrons. However, it is blind to the parameter that encodes the timing and coherence of the ionisation process and links the free electron to its earlier bound state. The EU-funded Timing-FreePhase project aims to develop an ultrafast free-electron interferometer that creates and recombines replicas of an electron wave packet using precisely timed light fields. By reading the resulting interference, the project seeks to reveal phase. It will also be able to track electron dynamics in atoms and molecules, and probe quantum correlations and entanglement with unprecedented clarity.
Objective
Electron emission from matter is a widespread phenomenon in nature, with examples including the photoionization of atoms and molecules, photoemission from solids, and the release of electrons due to ionizing radiation in biology. Complete information about the emitted electrons is contained in the amplitude and phase of their wave packets. While state-of-the-art electron spectroscopy routinely accesses the amplitude of these wave packets, the phase of free electron wave packets remains inaccessible. My team and I aim to develop an experimental technique to measure the phase of free electron wave packets without interfering with their creation mechanism. This will be groundbreaking, as the phase of the free electron wave packet carries information about the quantum mechanical properties of photoionization and the electron in its bound state prior to ionization.
We will accomplish this task by constructing a novel, microscopic, ultrafast free-electron-interferometer, in which replicas of the initial free electron wave packet are generated, shifted in momentum space, and brought to interference. At the heart of this innovative interferometric scheme are two crossed pulsed standing light waves that interact with the wave packet after its creation on femtosecond timescales. We will scale this approach to be applicable to correlated few-body wave packets by combining the light field interferometer with coincident multi-particle detection in a COLTRIMS reaction microscope.
Employing this groundbreaking method, we will address three objectives: (1) We will investigate the time evolution of the phase of an atomic photoelectron wave packet with a linear and with a helical interferometer made from light carrying orbital angular momentum. (2) We will study wave packets emitted from molecules, including chiral molecules. (3) We will examine correlations and entanglement within two-electron wave packets and between photoelectrons and their parent ions
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences optics microscopy
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
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Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Topic(s)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2023-ADG
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60323 Frankfurt Am Main
Germany
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