Coherently amplified ultrafast imaging using a free-electron interferometer

Bucher, Tomer; Nahari, Harel; Herzig Sheinfux, Hanan; Ruimy, Ron; Niedermayr, Arthur; Dahan, Raphael; Yan, Qinghui; Adiv, Yuval; Yannai, Michael; Chen, Jialin; Kurman, Yaniv; Park, Sang Tae; Masiel, Daniel J.; Janzen, Eli; Edgar, James H.; Carbone, Fabrizio; Bartal, Guy; Tsesses, Shai; Koppens, Frank H. L.; Vanacore, Giovanni Maria; Kaminer, Ido

doi:10.1038/s41566-024-01451-w

Cited by 5 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 57 publications

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“…The study of interactions between flying free electrons and quantized systems, such as electromagnetic fields or bound electrons, has led to the emerging field of free-electron quantum optics . − Free-electron quantum optics provides a promising platform for the generation of nonclassical light, ,,,− quantum information processing, − and quantum sensing. ,,,,− Specifically, measurement of free electrons’ energy can be used for the heralded generation of quantum light, such as Fock states, ,,,,− squeezed states and even cat and GKP states . More recently, it was predicted that free electrons could serve as ancillary qubits for quantum computation , and provide a platform for nonlinear electron dynamics , and deterministic single-photon nonlinearities ,, emerging from quantum recoil. , Owing to the nature of free-electron emitters, the anticipated single photon nonlinearity can span a vast spectral range , and operate on femtosecond-temporal and subwavelength-spatial resolution, − allowing new paradigms in quantum optical technologies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strong Coupling and Single-Photon Nonlinearity in Free-Electron Quantum Optics

Karnieli,

Roques-Carmes,

Rivera

et al. 2024

ACS Photonics

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A central challenge in the emerging field of free-electron quantum optics is to achieve strong quantum interaction and single-photon nonlinearity between a flying free electron and a photonic mode. Existing schemes are intrinsically limited by electron diffraction, which puts an upper bound on the interaction length and, therefore, on the strength of quantum coupling and nonlinearity. Here, we propose “free-electron fibers”: effectively one-dimensional photonic systems where free electrons copropagate with two guided modes. The first mode applies a ponderomotive trap to the free electron, removing the limitations due to electron diffraction. The second mode strongly couples to the guided free electron with an enhanced coupling that is orders of magnitude larger than previous designs. The extended interaction lengths enabled by our scheme allow for strong single-photon nonlinearities mediated by free electrons. We predict novel quantum effects in our system such as deterministic single-photon emission and nonlinear multimode dynamics. Our proposal paves the way toward the realization of heralded macroscopic nonclassical light generation, deterministic single-photon sources, and quantum gates controlled by free-electron–photon interactions.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strong Coupling and Single-Photon Nonlinearity in Free-Electron Quantum Optics

Karnieli,

Roques-Carmes,

Rivera

et al. 2024

ACS Photonics

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Photonic Quantum State Tomography Using Free Electrons

Gorlach,

Malka,

Karnieli

et al. 2024

Phys. Rev. Lett.

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Free-electron Ramsey-type interferometry for enhanced amplitude and phase imaging of nearfields

Bucher,

Ruimy,

Tsesses

et al. 2023

Sci. Adv.

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The complex range of interactions between electrons and electromagnetic fields gave rise to countless scientific and technological advances. A prime example is photon-induced nearfield electron microscopy (PINEM), enabling the detection of confined electric fields in illuminated nanostructures with unprecedented spatial resolution. However, PINEM is limited by its dependence on strong fields, making it unsuitable for sensitive samples, and its inability to resolve complex phasor information. Here, we leverage the nonlinear, overconstrained nature of PINEM to present an algorithmic microscopy approach, achieving far superior nearfield imaging capabilities. Our algorithm relies on free-electron Ramsey-type interferometry to produce orders-of-magnitude improvement in sensitivity and ambiguity-immune nearfield phase reconstruction, both of which are optimal when the electron exhibits a fully quantum behavior. Our results demonstrate the potential of combining algorithmic approaches with state-of-the-art modalities in electron microscopy and may lead to various applications from imaging sensitive biological samples to performing full-field tomography of confined light.

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Coherently amplified ultrafast imaging using a free-electron interferometer

Cited by 5 publications

References 57 publications

Strong Coupling and Single-Photon Nonlinearity in Free-Electron Quantum Optics

Strong Coupling and Single-Photon Nonlinearity in Free-Electron Quantum Optics

Photonic Quantum State Tomography Using Free Electrons

Free-electron Ramsey-type interferometry for enhanced amplitude and phase imaging of nearfields

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