2023/12/11 by Jaime Abad-Arredondo, Antonio I. Fernández‐Domínguez, Abad-Arredondo, J. +1
Engineering · Physics and Astronomy · #FOS: Physical sciences #Mechanical and Optical Resonators #Optics (physics.optics) #Plasmonic and Surface Plasmon Research #Quantum Physics (quant-ph) #Strong Light-Matter Interactions
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2312.06503
openalex publication_date 2023/12/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Thanks to their exceptional spatial, spectral and temporal resolution, highly-coherent free-electron beams have emerged as powerful probes for material excitations, enabling their characterization even in the quantum regime. Here, we investigate strong light-matter coupling through monochromatic and modulated electron wavepackets. In particular, we consider an archetypal target, comprising a nanophotonic cavity next to a single two-level emitter. We propose a model Hamiltonian describing the coherent interaction between the passing electron beam and the hybrid photonic-excitonic target, which is constructed using macroscopic quantum electrodynamics and fully parameterized in terms of the electromagnetic Dyadic Green's function. Using this framework, we first describe electron-energy-loss and cathodoluminescence spectroscopies, and photon-induced near-field electron emission microscopy. Finally, we show the power of modulated electrons beams as quantum tools for the manipulation of polaritonic targets presenting a complex energy landscape of excitations.