Transverse and longitudinal characterization of electron beams using interaction with optical near-fields

TL;DR

This paper presents an experimental method for detailed transverse and longitudinal characterization of femtosecond free electron beams by analyzing their interaction with optical near-fields, achieving high spatial and temporal resolution.

Contribution

The study introduces a novel technique utilizing optical near-fields for comprehensive electron beam characterization with high precision.

Findings

Transverse resolution of 450 nm achieved.

Femtosecond temporal resolution demonstrated.

Effective characterization of silicon nanostructure fields.

Abstract

We demonstrate an experimental technique for both transverse and longitudinal characterization of bunched femtosecond free electron beams. The operation principle is based on monitoring of the current of electrons that obtained an energy gain during the interaction with the synchronized optical near-field wave excited by femtosecond laser pulses. The synchronous accelerating/decelerating fields confined to the surface of a silicon nanostructure are characterized using a highly focused sub-relativistic electron beam. Here the transverse spatial resolution of 450 nm and femtosecond temporal resolution achievable by this technique are demonstrated.