Abstract: Over the last two decades, the exploration of optical phenomena at the nanoscale using electron beams has transitioned from a laboratory novelty to an established field within electron microscopy and optical sciences [1]. This transformation was propelled by key conceptual breakthroughs that elucidated the profound connection between electron spectroscopies and the flourishing of instrumental innovations. The integration of electron-based techniques into nanooptics is now such that it has now extended into the domain of quantum nanooptics. In my presentation, I will discuss our latest efforts to merge electron and optical spectroscopy through a novel synergy of sub-10 nm electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) combined with either light collection (cathodoluminescence, CL) or injection (electron energy gain spectroscopy, EEGS). Initially, I will offer a brief overview of the capabilities afforded by state-of-the-art Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope EELS and CL techniques, addressing their separate applications across diverse fields such as nanophotonics, energy materials or and nanomedicine. Subsequently, I will outline various approaches for correlating CL with extinction or absorption (EELS) signals within a Transmission Electron Microscope, targeting applications in physics and materials science that span plasmonic [2], photonic [3], and semiconductor [4] systems. Moreover, I aim to demonstrate that coincident measurements of CL and EELS signals can trace the fate of an excited state at the nanoscale [5] — from its inception to its decay into photons. Time permitting, I will conclude with an exploration of EEGS experiments that capitalize on the synchronicity between electrons and photons. Here, photons derived from a pulsed laser are synchronized with the EELS detector, marrying the spectral resolution of a laser with the spatial resolution of STEM [6].
REFERENCES:
[1] A. Polman, M. Kociak, and F. J. García de Abajo, Nat. Mater. 18, 1158 (2019).
[2] A. Losquin, L. F. Zagonel, V. Myroshnychenko, B. Rodriguez-Gonzalez, M. Tence, L. Scarabelli, J. Forstner, L. M. Liz-Marzan, F. J. G. de Abajo, O. Stephan, and M. Kociak, Nano Lett. 15, 1229 (2015).
[3] Y. Auad, C. Hamon, M. Tencé, H. Lourenço-Martins, V. Mkhitaryan, O. Stephan, F. J. García de Abajo, L. Tizei, and M. Kociak, Nano Lett. 22, 319 (2022).
[4] N. Bonnet, H. Y. Lee, F. Shao, S. Y. Woo, J. D. Blazit, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, A. Zobelli, O. Stéphan, M. Kociak, S. Gradečak, and L. H. G. Tizei, Nano Lett. 21, 10178 (2021).
[5] N. Varkentina, Y. Auad, S. Y. Woo, A. Zobelli, L. Bocher, J.-D. Blazit, X. Li, M. Tencé, K. Watanabe, T. Taniguchi, O. Stéphan, M. Kociak, and L. H. G. Tizei, Sci. Adv. 8, (2022).
[6] Y. Auad, E. J. C. Dias, M. Tencé, J. Blazit, X. Li, L. F. Zagonel, O. Stéphan, L. H. G. Tizei, F. J. García de Abajo, and M. Kociak, Nat. Commun. 14, 4442 (2023).
In-Person Location: Bldg. 440 A105/A106
Join ZoomGov Meeting
https://argonne.zoomgov.com/j/1613912289
Meeting ID: 161 391 2289