Tomer Bucher, Harel Nahari, Hanan Herzig Sheinfux, Ron Ruimy, Arthur Niedermayr, Raphael Dahan, Qinghui Yan, Yuval Adiv, Michael Yannai, Jialin Chen, Yaniv Kurman, Sang Tae Park, Daniel J. Masiel, Eli Janzen, James H. Edgar, Fabrizio Carbone, Guy Bartal, Shai Tsesses, Frank H. L. Koppens, Giovanni Maria Vanacore, Ido Kaminer
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引用次数: 0
Abstract
Accessing the low-energy non-equilibrium dynamics of materials and their polaritons with simultaneous high spatial and temporal resolution has been a bold frontier of electron microscopy in recent years. One of the main challenges lies in the ability to retrieve extremely weak signals and simultaneously disentangling the amplitude and phase information. Here we present free-electron Ramsey imaging—a microscopy approach based on light-induced electron modulation that enables the coherent amplification of optical near fields in electron imaging. We provide simultaneous time-, space- and phase-resolved measurements of a micro-drum made from a hexagonal boron nitride membrane, visualizing the sub-cycle dynamics of two-dimensional polariton wavepackets therein. The phase-resolved measurement reveals vortex–anti-vortex singularities on the polariton wavefronts, together with an intriguing phenomenon of a travelling wave mimicking the amplitude profile of a standing wave. Our experiments show a 20-fold coherent amplification of the near-field signal compared with conventional electron near-field imaging, resolving peak field intensities in the order of a few watts per square centimetre, corresponding to field amplitudes of a few kilovolts per metre. As a result, our work paves the way for the spatiotemporal electron microscopy of biological specimens and quantum materials, exciting yet delicate samples that are currently difficult to investigate. Free-electron Ramsey imaging enables space-, time- and phase-resolved electron imaging of weak optical near fields. Owing to its phase-resolving ability, this technique images chiral vortex–anti-vortex phase singularities of phonon-polariton modes in hexagonal boron nitride.
期刊介绍:
Nature Photonics is a monthly journal dedicated to the scientific study and application of light, known as Photonics. It publishes top-quality, peer-reviewed research across all areas of light generation, manipulation, and detection.
The journal encompasses research into the fundamental properties of light and its interactions with matter, as well as the latest developments in optoelectronic devices and emerging photonics applications. Topics covered include lasers, LEDs, imaging, detectors, optoelectronic devices, quantum optics, biophotonics, optical data storage, spectroscopy, fiber optics, solar energy, displays, terahertz technology, nonlinear optics, plasmonics, nanophotonics, and X-rays.
In addition to research papers and review articles summarizing scientific findings in optoelectronics, Nature Photonics also features News and Views pieces and research highlights. It uniquely includes articles on the business aspects of the industry, such as technology commercialization and market analysis, offering a comprehensive perspective on the field.