ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6525-9449 and Baum, P.
(2015):
Sub-phonon-period compression of electron pulses for atomic diffraction.
In: Nature Communications, Vol. 6, 8723
[PDF, 828kB]

Abstract
Visualizing the rearrangement of atoms in a wide range of molecular and condensed-matter systems requires resolving picometre displacements on a 10-fs timescale, which is achievable using pump-probe diffraction, given short enough pulses. Here we demonstrate the compression of single-electron pulses with a de Broglie wavelength of 0.08 angstrom to a full-width at half-maximum duration of 28 fs or equivalently 12-fs root-mean square, substantially shorter than most phonon periods and molecular normal modes. Atomic resolution diffraction from a complex organic molecule is obtained with good signal-to-noise ratio within a data acquisition period of minutes. The electron-laser timing is found to be stable within 5 fs (s.d.) over several hours, allowing pump-probe diffraction at repetitive excitation. These measurements show the feasibility of laser-pump/electron-probe scans that can resolve the fastest atomic motions relevant in reversible condensed-matter transformations and organic chemistry.
Item Type: | Journal article |
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Faculties: | Physics |
Subjects: | 500 Science > 530 Physics |
URN: | urn:nbn:de:bvb:19-epub-34042-8 |
ISSN: | 2041-1723 |
Language: | English |
Item ID: | 34042 |
Date Deposited: | 15. Feb 2017, 16:03 |
Last Modified: | 08. May 2024, 08:40 |