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

• URL: http://arxiv.org/abs/2605.22152v1
• Date: Thu, 21 May 2026 08:23:39 GMT
• Title: Electron modulation and ultrafast near-field imaging with vectorial laser fields
• Abstract summary: Controlled interaction of laser light with electron beams is fundamental for ultrafast electron microscopy and electron-based quantum optics.<n>Here we show that the emerging focal fields can modulate the electron beam in a direct, coherent and linear way.<n>Also, we use vectorial polarizations to excite and probe three-dimensional nanophotonic near-fields in metallic mesocrystals.
• Score: 0.0
• License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• 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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