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Attosecond coherent control of free-electron wave functions using semi-infinite light fields

Author

Listed:
  • G. M. Vanacore

    (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

  • I. Madan

    (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

  • G. Berruto

    (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

  • K. Wang

    (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
    Technion—Israel Institute of Technology)

  • E. Pomarico

    (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

  • R. J. Lamb

    (University of Glasgow)

  • D. McGrouther

    (University of Glasgow)

  • I. Kaminer

    (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
    Technion—Israel Institute of Technology)

  • B. Barwick

    (Ripon College)

  • F. Javier García de Abajo

    (The Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology
    ICREA-Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats)

  • F. Carbone

    (École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne)

Abstract

Light–electron interaction is the seminal ingredient in free-electron lasers and dynamical investigation of matter. Pushing the coherent control of electrons by light to the attosecond timescale and below would enable unprecedented applications in quantum circuits and exploration of electronic motions and nuclear phenomena. Here we demonstrate attosecond coherent manipulation of a free-electron wave function, and show that it can be pushed down to the zeptosecond regime. We make a relativistic single-electron wavepacket interact in free-space with a semi-infinite light field generated by two light pulses reflected from a mirror and delayed by fractions of the optical cycle. The amplitude and phase of the resulting electron–state coherent oscillations are mapped in energy-momentum space via momentum-resolved ultrafast electron spectroscopy. The experimental results are in full agreement with our analytical theory, which predicts access to the zeptosecond timescale by adopting semi-infinite X-ray pulses.

Suggested Citation

  • G. M. Vanacore & I. Madan & G. Berruto & K. Wang & E. Pomarico & R. J. Lamb & D. McGrouther & I. Kaminer & B. Barwick & F. Javier García de Abajo & F. Carbone, 2018. "Attosecond coherent control of free-electron wave functions using semi-infinite light fields," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 9(1), pages 1-11, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:9:y:2018:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-018-05021-x
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-05021-x
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