Publication Date:
2016-07-12
Description:
Author(s): F. J. García de Abajo, B. Barwick, and F. Carbone The properties of an electron beam can be manipulated by electromagnetic fields in vacuum via the ponderomotive force. Such an interaction is also at the core of the Kapitza-Dirac effect, which describes the diffraction of electrons by an optical standing wave. Here, the authors predict a new type of interaction between electrons and the electromagnetic field, opening up new possibilities for the manipulation of electron beams. If surface plasmon polaritons are tailored to interfere forming a periodic field pattern, it becomes possible to diffract electrons from such near field. With the proper manipulation of the plasmonic fields, orbital angular momentum can be imparted to the electrons, and even the phase of their wave functions can be manipulated. An additional degree of freedom is provided by the possibility to tailor the spatial properties of the light and the materials supporting the surface plasmons. This arbitrary control can be extended to different substrates such as graphene or layered systems and may open up a viable route to create tunable phase plates for electron microscopes. [Phys. Rev. B 94, 041404(R)] Published Mon Jul 11, 2016
Keywords:
Surface physics, nanoscale physics, low-dimensional systems
Print ISSN:
1098-0121
Electronic ISSN:
1095-3795
Topics:
Physics
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