Single-Shot Electron Diffraction using a Cold Atom Electron Source

Abstract

Cold atom electron sources are a promising alternative to traditional photocathode sources for use in ultrafast electron diffraction due to greatly reduced electron temperature at creation, and the potential for a corresponding increase in brightness. Here we demonstrate single-shot, nanosecond electron diffraction from monocrystalline gold using cold electron bunches generated in a cold atom electron source. The diffraction patterns have sufficient signal to allow registration of multiple single-shot images, generating an averaged image with significantly higher signal-to-noise ratio than obtained with unregistered averaging. Reflection high-energy electron diffraction (RHEED) was also demonstrated, showing that cold atom electron sources may be useful in resolving nanosecond dynamics of nanometre scale near-surface structures.

This is an author-created, un-copyedited version of an article published in Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. IOP Publishing Ltd is not responsible for any errors or omissions in this version of the manuscript or any version derived from it. The Version of Record is available online at http://dx.doi.org/10.1088/0953-4075/48/21/214002

References in corpus (2)

• Femtosecond Diffractive Imaging with a Soft-X-ray Free-Electron Laser
• New electron source concept for single-shot sub-100 fs electron diffraction in the 100 keV range

Cited by in corpus (7)

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• Compact ultracold electron source based on a grating magneto optical trap
• Ultrafast Electron Cooling in an Expanding Ultracold Plasma
• Unconventional light-induced states visualized by ultrafast electron diffraction and microscopy
• Pulse length of ultracold electron bunches extracted from a laser cooled gas
• Stimulated Raman Adiabatic Passage for Improved Performance of a Cold Atom Electron and Ion Source
• Design and optimization of a 100 keV DC/RF ultracold electron source