Terahertz control and timing correlations in a transmission electron microscope

Abstract

Ultrafast electron microscopy provides a movie-like access to structural dynamics of materials in space and time, but fundamental atomic motions or electron dynamics are, so far, too quick to be resolved. Here, we report the all-optical control, compression, and characterization of electron pulses in a transmission electron microscope by the single optical cycles of laser-generated terahertz light. This concept provides isolated electron pulses and merges the spatial resolution of a transmission electron microscope with the temporal resolution that is offered by a single cycle of laser light. We also report the all-optical control of multi-electron states and find a substantial two-electron and three-electron anticorrelation in the time domain. These results open up the possibility to visualize atomic and electronic motions together with their quantum correlations on fundamental dimensions in space and time.