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arXiv · 2605.22152

Electron modulation and ultrafast near-field imaging with vectorial laser fields

J. Kuttruff·L. Möhrle·L. Ciorciaro·L. Schmidt-Mende·P. Baum
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Abstract

Controlled interaction of laser light with electron beams is fundamental for ultrafast electron microscopy and electron-based quantum optics, yet their direct coupling is forbidden in free space. Here we use longitudinally polarized light at a thin membrane and show that the emerging focal fields can modulate the electron beam in a direct, coherent and linear way, without the need for nanostructured materials or slanted interaction geometries. Also, we use vectorial polarizations to excite and probe three-dimensional nanophotonic near-fields in metallic mesocrystals by coherent electron energy gain and loss. We find that longitudinal electric fields excite axial near-fields in a direct way while longitudinal magnetic fields excite oscillating ring currents via azimuthal electric fields. These possibilities enable tilt-free, collinear generation of attosecond electron pulses or free-electron qubits and provide novel imaging modes in ultrafast electron microscopy and metamaterial tomography.

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J. Kuttruff, L. Möhrle, L. Ciorciaro, L. Schmidt-Mende, P. Baum. 2026-05-21. Electron modulation and ultrafast near-field imaging with vectorial laser fields. https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.22152

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