Indirect multiphoton scattering between light and bulk plasmons via ultrafast free electrons

Fuente: arXiv
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Auteurs principaux: Chen, Ruoyu, Li, Jun, Pan, Qiaofei, Zheng, Dingguo, Zhang, Bin, Tian, Ye, Li, Jianqi, Yang, Huaixin, Pan, Yiming
Format: Preprint
Publié: 2025
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author Chen, Ruoyu
Li, Jun
Pan, Qiaofei
Zheng, Dingguo
Zhang, Bin
Tian, Ye
Li, Jianqi
Yang, Huaixin
Pan, Yiming
author_facet Chen, Ruoyu
Li, Jun
Pan, Qiaofei
Zheng, Dingguo
Zhang, Bin
Tian, Ye
Li, Jianqi
Yang, Huaixin
Pan, Yiming
contents Efficient coupling between light and bulk plasmons (BPs) remains a central challenge because of their inherent mode mismatch, limited penetration depth, and pronounced resonant energy mismatch between visible-range photons and BPs. In this work, we demonstrate that ultrafast free electrons can coherently mediate an interaction between electromagnetic fields and BPs at the nanoscale. An electron pulse emitted from the photocathode of ultrafast transmission electron microscope, functions as a quantum intermediary that is capable of simultaneously interacting with the laser field by multiphoton processes and BPs by perturbative scattering. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy can capture this indirect interaction, the final electron energy distribution encodes both quantum pathways arising from distinct combinations of multiphoton absorption and emission and BP scattering events. Interference among these pathways gives rise to characteristic spectral modulations, directly revealing the exchange of energy and information between photons and BPs via the electron delivery. Our results show that femtosecond-driven, ultrafast electrons provide a viable route to modulate and even control bulk plasmon excitations in a volume, thereby extending beyond the conventional nanoplasmonics schemes on manipulating surface plasmons by light. This indirect light-BP interaction paves the promising way for exploring fundamental light-matter interaction at ultrafast and nanometer scales.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2507_18091
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Indirect multiphoton scattering between light and bulk plasmons via ultrafast free electrons
Chen, Ruoyu
Li, Jun
Pan, Qiaofei
Zheng, Dingguo
Zhang, Bin
Tian, Ye
Li, Jianqi
Yang, Huaixin
Pan, Yiming
Optics
Materials Science
Quantum Physics
Efficient coupling between light and bulk plasmons (BPs) remains a central challenge because of their inherent mode mismatch, limited penetration depth, and pronounced resonant energy mismatch between visible-range photons and BPs. In this work, we demonstrate that ultrafast free electrons can coherently mediate an interaction between electromagnetic fields and BPs at the nanoscale. An electron pulse emitted from the photocathode of ultrafast transmission electron microscope, functions as a quantum intermediary that is capable of simultaneously interacting with the laser field by multiphoton processes and BPs by perturbative scattering. Electron energy-loss spectroscopy can capture this indirect interaction, the final electron energy distribution encodes both quantum pathways arising from distinct combinations of multiphoton absorption and emission and BP scattering events. Interference among these pathways gives rise to characteristic spectral modulations, directly revealing the exchange of energy and information between photons and BPs via the electron delivery. Our results show that femtosecond-driven, ultrafast electrons provide a viable route to modulate and even control bulk plasmon excitations in a volume, thereby extending beyond the conventional nanoplasmonics schemes on manipulating surface plasmons by light. This indirect light-BP interaction paves the promising way for exploring fundamental light-matter interaction at ultrafast and nanometer scales.
title Indirect multiphoton scattering between light and bulk plasmons via ultrafast free electrons
topic Optics
Materials Science
Quantum Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2507.18091