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arXiv · 2003.01938

High-purity free-electron momentum states prepared by three-dimensional optical phase modulation

Armin Feist·Sergey V. Yalunin·Sascha Schäfer·Claus Ropers
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Abstract

We demonstrate the quantized transfer of photon energy and transverse momentum to a high-coherence electron beam. In an ultrafast transmission electron microscope, a three-dimensional phase modulation of the electron wavefunction is induced by transmitting the beam through a laser-illuminated thin graphite sheet. This all-optical free-electron phase space control results in high-purity superpositions of linear momentum states, providing an elementary component for optically programmable electron phase plates and beam splitters.

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Armin Feist, Sergey V. Yalunin, Sascha Schäfer, Claus Ropers. 2020-03-04. High-purity free-electron momentum states prepared by three-dimensional optical phase modulation. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevresearch.2.043227

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