Sequential phase-locked optical gating of free electrons

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that sequential phase-locked optical interactions with free electrons, controlled by plasmon phase, polarization, and phase offsets, enable precise manipulation of electron wavepackets for advanced quantum applications.

Contribution

It introduces a novel sequential phase-locking scheme for controlling free-electron wavepackets using localized dipolar plasmons and optical phase parameters.

Findings

Sequential phase-locking allows precise electron wavepacket control.

Optical phase and polarization influence electron recoil manipulation.

Method enables selective electron acceleration or deceleration.

Abstract

Recent progress in coherent quantum interactions between free-electron pulses and laser-induced near-field light have revolutionized electron wavepacket shaping. Building on these advancements, we numerically explore the potential of sequential interactions between slow electrons and localized dipolar plasmons in a sequential phase-locked interaction scheme. Taking advantage of the prolonged interaction time between slow electrons and optical near-fields, we aim to explore the effect of plasmon dynamics on the free-electron wavepacket modulation. Our results demonstrate that the initial optical phase of the localized dipolar plasmon at the starting point of the interaction, along with the phase offset between the interaction zones, can serve as control parameters in manipulating the transverse and longitudinal recoil of the electron wavefunction. Moreover, it is shown that the polarization state of light is an additional control knop for tailoring the longitudinal and transverse recoils. We show that a sequential phase-locking method can be employed to precisely manipulate the longitudinal and transverse recoil of the electron wavepacket, leading to selective acceleration or deceleration of the electron energy along specific diffraction angles. These findings have important implications for the development of novel techniques for ultrafast electron-light interferometry, shaping the electron wave packet, and quantum information processing.