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arXiv · 2006.12677

Extreme Lightwave Electron Field Emission from a Nanotip

Dominique Matte·Nima Chamanara·Lauren Gingras·Laurent P. René de Cotret·Tristan L. Britt·Bradley J. Siwick·David G. Cooke
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Abstract

We report on sub-cycle terahertz light-field emission of electrons from tungsten nanotips under extreme conditions corresponding to a Keldysh parameter $\gamma_K\approx10^{-4}$. Local peak THz fields up to 40~GV/m are achieved at the apex of an illuminated nanotip, causing sub-cycle cold-field electron emission and acceleration in the quasi-static field. By simultaneous measurement of the electron bunch charge and energy distribution, we perform a quantitative test of quasi-static Fowler-Nordheim tunnelling theory under field conditions that completely suppress the tunnel barrier. Very high bunch charges of $\sim10^6$ electrons/pulse are observed, reaching maximum energies of 3.5~keV after acceleration in the local field. The energy distribution and emission current show good agreement with Fowler-Nordheim theory even in this extreme field regime. Extending this model to the single-shot regime under these conditions predicts peak electron distributions with a spectral purity of $10^{-4}$. THz field-induced reshaping and sharpening of the nanotip is observed, reducing the tip radius from 120~nm to 35~nm over roughly $10^9$ THz shots. These results indicate THz-driven nanotips in the extreme field limit are promising electron sources for ultrafast electron diffraction and microscopy.

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Dominique Matte, Nima Chamanara, Lauren Gingras, Laurent P. René de Cotret, Tristan L. Britt, Bradley J. Siwick, David G. Cooke. 2020-06-23. Extreme Lightwave Electron Field Emission from a Nanotip. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevresearch.3.013137

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