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Di Giulio V, Akerboom E, Polman A, García de Abajo FJ. Toward Optimum Coupling between Free Electrons and Confined Optical Modes. ACS NANO 2024; 18:14255-14275. [PMID: 38775711 PMCID: PMC11155252 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.3c12977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 04/10/2024] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/05/2024]
Abstract
Free electrons are excellent tools to probe and manipulate nanoscale optical fields with emerging applications in ultrafast spectromicroscopy and quantum metrology. However, advances in this field are hindered by the small probability associated with the excitation of single optical modes by individual free electrons. Here, we theoretically investigate the scaling properties of the electron-driven excitation probability for a wide variety of optical modes including plasmons in metallic nanostructures and Mie resonances in dielectric cavities, spanning a broad spectral range that extends from the ultraviolet to the infrared region. The highest probabilities for the direct generation of three-dimensionally confined modes are observed at low electron and mode energies in small structures, with order-unity (∼100%) coupling demanding the use of <100 eV electrons interacting with eV polaritons confined down to tens of nanometers in space. Electronic transitions in artificial atoms also emerge as practical systems to realize strong coupling to few-eV free electrons. In contrast, conventional dielectric cavities reach a maximum probability in the few-percent range. In addition, we show that waveguide modes can be generated with higher-than-unity efficiency by phase-matched interaction with grazing electrons, suggesting a practical method to create multiple excitations of a localized optical mode by an individual electron through funneling the so-generated propagating photons into a confining cavity─an alternative approach to direct electron-cavity interaction. Our work provides a roadmap to optimize electron-photon coupling with potential applications in electron spectromicroscopy as well as nonlinear and quantum optics at the nanoscale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valerio Di Giulio
- The
Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques-ICFO, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Evelijn Akerboom
- Center
for Nanophotonics, NWO-Institute AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - Albert Polman
- Center
for Nanophotonics, NWO-Institute AMOLF, Science Park 104, 1098 XG Amsterdam, The Netherlands
| | - F. Javier García de Abajo
- The
Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques-ICFO, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
- ICREA-Institució
Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
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2
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Yang Y, Henke JW, Raja AS, Kappert FJ, Huang G, Arend G, Qiu Z, Feist A, Wang RN, Tusnin A, Tikan A, Ropers C, Kippenberg TJ. Free-electron interaction with nonlinear optical states in microresonators. Science 2024; 383:168-173. [PMID: 38207019 DOI: 10.1126/science.adk2489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/17/2023] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
The short de Broglie wavelength and strong interaction empower free electrons to probe structures and excitations in materials and biomolecules. Recently, electron-photon interactions have enabled new optical manipulation schemes for electron beams. In this work, we demonstrate the interaction of electrons with nonlinear optical states inside a photonic chip-based microresonator. Optical parametric processes give rise to spatiotemporal pattern formation corresponding to coherent or incoherent optical frequency combs. We couple such "microcombs" to electron beams, demonstrate their fingerprints in the electron spectra, and achieve ultrafast temporal gating of the electron beam. Our work demonstrates the ability to access solitons inside an electron microscope and extends the use of microcombs to spatiotemporal control of electrons for imaging and spectroscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yujia Yang
- Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Jan-Wilke Henke
- Department of Ultrafast Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Arslan S Raja
- Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - F Jasmin Kappert
- Department of Ultrafast Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Guanhao Huang
- Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Germaine Arend
- Department of Ultrafast Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Zheru Qiu
- Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Armin Feist
- Department of Ultrafast Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Rui Ning Wang
- Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Aleksandr Tusnin
- Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Alexey Tikan
- Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Claus Ropers
- Department of Ultrafast Dynamics, Max Planck Institute for Multidisciplinary Sciences, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Tobias J Kippenberg
- Institute of Physics, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL), CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
- Center for Quantum Science and Engineering, EPFL, CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
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3
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Karnieli A, Fan S. Jaynes-Cummings interaction between low-energy free electrons and cavity photons. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadh2425. [PMID: 37256955 PMCID: PMC10413651 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adh2425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
The Jaynes-Cummings Hamiltonian is at the core of cavity quantum electrodynamics; however, it relies on bound-electron emitters fundamentally limited by the binding Coulomb potential. In this work, we propose theoretically a new approach to realizing the Jaynes-Cummings model using low-energy free electrons coupled to dielectric microcavities and exemplify several quantum technologies made possible by this approach. Using quantum recoil, a large detuning inhibits the emission of multiple consecutive photons, effectively transforming the free electron into a few-level system coupled to the cavity mode. We show that this approach can be used for generation of single photons, photon pairs, and even a quantum SWAP gate between a photon and a free electron, with unity efficiency and high fidelity. Tunable by their kinetic energy, quantum free electrons are inherently versatile emitters with an engineerable emission wavelength. Hence, they pave the way toward new possibilities for quantum interconnects between photonic platforms at disparate spectral regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aviv Karnieli
- Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978 Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shanhui Fan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Stanford University, Stanford, CA 94305, USA
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4
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García de Abajo FJ, Dias EJC, Di Giulio V. Complete Excitation of Discrete Quantum Systems by Single Free Electrons. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2022; 129:093401. [PMID: 36083663 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.129.093401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2022] [Accepted: 07/26/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
We reveal a wealth of nonlinear and recoil effects in the interaction between individual low-energy electrons (≲100 eV) and samples comprising a discrete number of states. Adopting a quantum theoretical description of combined free-electron and two-level systems, we find a maximum achievable excitation probability of 100%, which requires specific conditions relating to the coupling strength and the transition symmetry, as we illustrate through calculations for dipolar and quadrupolar modes. Strong recoil effects are observed when the kinetic energy of the probe lies close to the transition threshold, although the associated probability remains independent of the electron wave function even when fully accounting for nonlinear interactions with arbitrarily complex multilevel samples. Our work reveals the potential of free electrons to control localized excitations and delineates the boundaries of such control.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Javier García de Abajo
- ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
- ICREA-Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Eduardo J C Dias
- ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
| | - Valerio Di Giulio
- ICFO-Institut de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, 08860 Castelldefels (Barcelona), Spain
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5
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Zhao Z, Sun XQ, Fan S. Quantum Entanglement and Modulation Enhancement of Free-Electron-Bound-Electron Interaction. PHYSICAL REVIEW LETTERS 2021; 126:233402. [PMID: 34170160 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.126.233402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The modulation and engineering of the free-electron wave function bring new ingredients to the electron-matter interaction. We consider the dynamics of a free-electron passing by a two-level system fully quantum mechanically and study the enhancement of interaction from the modulation of the free-electron wave function. In the presence of resonant modulation of the free-electron wave function, we show that the electron energy loss and gain spectrum is greatly enhanced for a coherent initial state of the two-level system. Thus, a modulated electron can function as a probe of the atomic coherence. We further find that distantly separated two-level atoms can be entangled through interacting with the same free electron. Effects of modulation-induced enhancement can also be observed using a dilute beam of modulated electrons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhexin Zhao
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
| | - Xiao-Qi Sun
- Department of Physics, McCullough Building, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
- Department of Physics, Institute for Condensed Matter Theory, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Illinois 61801, USA
| | - Shanhui Fan
- Department of Electrical Engineering, Ginzton Laboratory, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
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7
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García
de Abajo FJ, Di Giulio V. Optical Excitations with Electron Beams: Challenges and Opportunities. ACS PHOTONICS 2021; 8:945-974. [PMID: 35356759 PMCID: PMC8939335 DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.0c01950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/23/2020] [Revised: 02/17/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Free electron beams such as those employed in electron microscopes have evolved into powerful tools to investigate photonic nanostructures with an unrivaled combination of spatial and spectral precision through the analysis of electron energy losses and cathodoluminescence light emission. In combination with ultrafast optics, the emerging field of ultrafast electron microscopy utilizes synchronized femtosecond electron and light pulses that are aimed at the sampled structures, holding the promise to bring simultaneous sub-Å-sub-fs-sub-meV space-time-energy resolution to the study of material and optical-field dynamics. In addition, these advances enable the manipulation of the wave function of individual free electrons in unprecedented ways, opening sound prospects to probe and control quantum excitations at the nanoscale. Here, we provide an overview of photonics research based on free electrons, supplemented by original theoretical insights and discussion of several stimulating challenges and opportunities. In particular, we show that the excitation probability by a single electron is independent of its wave function, apart from a classical average over the transverse beam density profile, whereas the probability for two or more modulated electrons depends on their relative spatial arrangement, thus reflecting the quantum nature of their interactions. We derive first-principles analytical expressions that embody these results and have general validity for arbitrarily shaped electrons and any type of electron-sample interaction. We conclude with some perspectives on various exciting directions that include disruptive approaches to noninvasive spectroscopy and microscopy, the possibility of sampling the nonlinear optical response at the nanoscale, the manipulation of the density matrices associated with free electrons and optical sample modes, and appealing applications in optical modulation of electron beams, all of which could potentially revolutionize the use of free electrons in photonics.
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Affiliation(s)
- F. Javier García
de Abajo
- ICFO-Institut
de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute
of Science and Technology, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
- ICREA-Institució
Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Passeig Lluís Companys 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain
- E-mail:
| | - Valerio Di Giulio
- ICFO-Institut
de Ciencies Fotoniques, The Barcelona Institute
of Science and Technology, 08860 Castelldefels, Barcelona, Spain
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