Elastic scattering of electron vortex beams in magnetic matter

TL;DR

This paper investigates how electron vortex beams scatter elastically in magnetic materials, revealing potential for magnetic contrast detection in electron microscopy with high orbital angular momentum probes.

Contribution

It introduces the theoretical prediction that electron vortex beams with high orbital angular momentum can produce detectable magnetic signals in diffraction patterns.

Findings

Magnetic contrast arises from Zeeman interaction with orbital angular momentum.

Detection is feasible with high orbital angular momentum electron probes.

Magnetic signals are weak but potentially observable in advanced microscopes.

Abstract

Elastic scattering of electron vortex beams on magnetic materials leads to a weak magnetic contrast due to Zeeman interaction of orbital angular momentum of the beam with magnetic fields in the sample. The magnetic signal manifests itself as a redistribution of intensity in diffraction patterns due to a change of sign of the orbital angular moment. While in the atomic resolution regime the magnetic signal is most likely under the detection limits of present transmission electron microscopes, for electron probes with high orbital angular momenta, and correspondingly larger spatial extent, its detection is predicted to be feasible.