Elastic Quantum Coupling Between Free Electrons and Photons

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2510.15584v1
• Date: Fri, 17 Oct 2025 12:26:42 GMT
• Title: Elastic Quantum Coupling Between Free Electrons and Photons
• Authors: Dingguo Zheng, Ofer Kfir,
• Abstract summary: We formulate the elastic electron-photon quantum coupling and its possible implications.<n>The principle can be applied to counting electrons in a beam without changing its quantum states.<n>It could enable quantum- and sub-shot-noise sensing and imaging at the AA-scale.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Abstract: The quantum coupling between free-electrons and photons enables applying quantum optics techniques in electron microscopy. Here, we formulate the elastic electron-photon quantum coupling and its possible implications. Our analysis shows that when an electron traverses the field of an optical cavity, it induces a phase shift onto its confined photonic mode, which can be quantified as a refractive index of a free electron. This principle can be applied to counting electrons in a beam without changing its quantum states. The elastic scattering operator forms an electron-counting dispersive Hamiltonian for electron-photon systems within electron microscope, and it could enable quantum- and sub-shot-noise sensing and imaging at the {\AA}-scale.

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