Sub-Terahertz Nearfields for Electron-Pulse Compression

The advent of ultrafast science with pulsed electron beams raised the need in controlling the temporal features of the electron pulses. One promising suggestion is the nano-selective driving of quantum optics with multi-electrons, which can occur if laser-structured consecutive electrons are bunched within the decoherence time of the quantum system. Compressing electron pulses with terahertz (THz) radiation formed in optical nonlinear crystals is an attractive methodology to generate the rapidly varying electric fields necessary for electron compression, with an inherent temporal locking to laser-triggered electrons. Sub-THz are especially appealing as they can compress longer (picosecond-) pulses, however, the generation of such low frequencies is inefficient and their focusability is fundamentally limited by diffraction. This work proposes electron-pulse compression with sub-THz fields directly in the vicinity of their dipolar origin, thereby avoiding their mediation through radiation. We analyze the merits of such nearfields for electron compression and find that it is particularly advantageous for small numerical apertures and micro-joule-level optical pulses, and hence can be implemented within the tight constraints of standard electron microscopes and work at high repetition rates. We target temporal compression within low-eV electron microscopes but the new paradigm we suggest offers a realistic approach for controlling electron pulses spatially and temporally in many experiments, opening the path of flexible multi-electron manipulation for analytic and quantum sciences.Comment: 21 pages, 3 figure

Ultrafast high-harmonic nanoscopy of magnetization dynamics

Light-induced magnetization changes, such as all-optical switching, skyrmion nucleation, and intersite spin transfer, unfold on temporal and spatial scales down to femtoseconds and nanometers, respectively. Pump-probe spectroscopy and diffraction studies indicate that spatio-temporal dynamics may drastically affect the non-equilibrium magnetic evolution. Yet, direct real-space magnetic imaging on the relevant timescale has remained challenging. Here, we demonstrate ultrafast high-harmonic nanoscopy employing circularly polarized high-harmonic radiation for real-space imaging of femtosecond magnetization dynamics. We observe the reversible and irreversible evolution of nanoscale spin textures following femtosecond laser excitation. Specifically, we map quenched magnetic domains and localized spin structures in Co/Pd multilayers with a sub-wavelength spatial resolution down to 16 nm, and strobosocopically trace the local magnetization dynamics with 40 fs temporal resolution. Our approach enables the highest spatio-temporal resolution of magneto-optical imaging to date. Facilitating ultrafast imaging with an extreme sensitivity to various microscopic degrees of freedom expressed in chiral and linear dichroism, we envisage a wide range of applications spanning magnetism, phase transitions, and carrier dynamics.Comment: 14 pages, 4 figure

Generation of bright phase-matched circularly-polarized extreme ultraviolet high harmonics

Circularly-polarized extreme ultraviolet and X-ray radiation is useful for analysing the structural, electronic and magnetic properties of materials. To date, such radiation has only been available at large-scale X-ray facilities such as synchrotrons. Here, we demonstrate the first bright, phase-matched, extreme ultraviolet circularly-polarized high harmonics source. The harmonics are emitted when bi-chromatic counter-rotating circularly-polarized laser pulses field-ionize a gas in a hollow-core waveguide. We use this new light source for magnetic circular dichroism measurements at the M-shell absorption edges of Co. We show that phase-matching of circularly-polarized harmonics is unique and robust, producing a photon flux comparable to linearly polarized high harmonic sources. This work represents a critical advance towards the development of table-top systems for element-specific imaging and spectroscopy of multiple elements simultaneously in magnetic and other chiral media with very high spatial and temporal resolution. Circularly-polarized radiation in the extreme ultraviolet (EUV)and soft X-ray spectral regions has proven to be extremelyuseful for investigating chirality-sensitive light–matter inter-actions. It enables studies of chiral molecules using photoelectron circular dichroism1, ultrafast molecular decay dynamics2, the direct measurement of quantum phases (for example, Berry’s phase and pseudo-spin) in graphene and topological insulators3,4 and reconstruction of band structure and modal phases in solids5

Nanoscale Magnetic Imaging using Circularly Polarized High-Harmonic Radiation

This work demonstrates nanoscale magnetic imaging using bright circularly polarized high-harmonic radiation. We utilize the magneto-optical contrast of worm-like magnetic domains in a Co/Pd multilayer structure, obtaining quantitative amplitude and phase maps by lensless imaging. A diffraction-limited spatial resolution of 49 nm is achieved with iterative phase reconstruction enhanced by a holographic mask. Harnessing the unique coherence of high harmonics, this approach will facilitate quantitative, element-specific and spatially-resolved studies of ultrafast magnetization dynamics, advancing both fundamental and applied aspects of nanoscale magnetism.Comment: Ofer Kfir and Sergey Zayko contributed equally to this work. Presented in CLEO 2017 (Oral) doi.org/10.1364/CLEO_QELS.2017.FW1H.