Control of quantum electrodynamical processes by shaping electron wavepackets

Liang Jie Wong (), Nicholas Rivera, Chitraang Murdia, Thomas Christensen, John D. Joannopoulos, Marin Soljačić and Ido Kaminer ()
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Liang Jie Wong: Nanyang Technological University
Nicholas Rivera: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Chitraang Murdia: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Thomas Christensen: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
John D. Joannopoulos: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Marin Soljačić: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Ido Kaminer: Department of Electrical Engineering, Technion

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-10

Abstract: Abstract Fundamental quantum electrodynamical (QED) processes, such as spontaneous emission and electron-photon scattering, encompass phenomena that underlie much of modern science and technology. Conventionally, calculations in QED and other field theories treat incoming particles as single-momentum states, omitting the possibility that coherent superposition states, i.e., shaped wavepackets, can alter fundamental scattering processes. Here, we show that free electron waveshaping can be used to design interferences between two or more pathways in a QED process, enabling precise control over the rate of that process. As an example, we show that free electron waveshaping modifies both spatial and spectral characteristics of bremsstrahlung emission, leading for instance to enhancements in directionality and monochromaticity. The ability to tailor general QED processes opens up additional avenues of control in phenomena ranging from optical excitation (e.g., plasmon and phonon emission) in electron microscopy to free electron lasing in the quantum regime.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21367-1

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