Merging transformation optics with electron-driven photon sources.
Nahid TalebiSophie MeuretSurong GuoMario HentschelAlbert PolmanHarald GiessenPeter A van AkenPublished in: Nature communications (2019)
Relativistic electron beams create optical radiation when interacting with tailored nanostructures. This phenomenon has been so far used to design grating-based and holographic electron-driven photon sources. It has been proposed recently that such sources can be used for hybrid electron- and light-based spectroscopy techniques. However, this demands the design of a thin-film source suitable for electron-microscopy applications. Here, we present a mesoscopic structure composed of an array of nanoscale holes in a gold film which is designed using transformation optics and delivers ultrashort chirped electromagnetic wave packets upon 30-200 keV electron irradiation. The femtosecond photon bunches result from coherent scattering of surface plasmon polaritons with hyperbolic dispersion. They decay by radiation in a broad spectral band which is focused into a 1.5 micrometer beam waist. The focusing ability and broadband nature of this photon source will initiate applications in ultrafast spectral interferometry techniques.
Keyphrases
- electron microscopy
- living cells
- high resolution
- monte carlo
- drinking water
- solar cells
- high speed
- optical coherence tomography
- electron transfer
- body mass index
- single molecule
- computed tomography
- dual energy
- high throughput
- physical activity
- magnetic resonance imaging
- energy transfer
- gold nanoparticles
- protein kinase