In the eNANO project, we aim at improving our capabilities for using electron beams to explore the nanoworld with ever better resolution in space and time, but also in the excitations supported by different nanostructures, such as optical modes that are relevant in their interaction with light. Given the complexity of this subject, the project has a theoretical nature, whereby we employ state-of-the-art analytical and computational methods to extend our understanding of the interaction between free electrons and nanomaterials to make it possible the design of improved electron microscopes. Specifically, we target the following specific aspects of such interaction: (1) For relatively slow electrons, their behaviour is affected by quantum aspects of the sampled materials that can help us learn about their dynamics, but in this regime a brand new theory is needed to account for the evolution of the complex electron-sample system; (2) We aim to push the limits of resolution with which we can image nanostructures down to the atomic scale, and specifically the resolution in space down to sub-Angstrom details, in time below the femtosecond, and in energy below the millielectronvolt; (3) We are interested in exploring the possibility of using a single electron to excite and at the same time sample the evolution of the created excitations in a specimen, thus pushing the sensitivity of electron microscopes to the single-electron level; (4) Free electrons provide an excellent tool to explore relatively inaccessible aspects of vacuum, which is in fact a complex entity that displays fluctuations and affects objects placed in it through quantum effects emanating as forces and non-contact energy transfer; (5) Besides free electrons in traditional electron microscopes, we envision the use of ballistic electrons in two-dimensional materials to realize an integrated version of electron energy-loss spectroscopy, with potential application in ultrasensitive detection in all-electrical devices. Beyond their intrinsic interest from a fundamental viewpoint, the results from this research project should improve our ability to design more precise microscopes, which ultimately will enable our ability to understand the nanoworld, and therefore also our potential for producing better devices in consumer products that should impact the society at large.
