Agradecimentos: MK wants to thank F. Houdellier and A. Arbouet for fruitful discussions. This work has received support from the National Agency for Research under the program of future investment TEMPOS-CHROMATEM with the Reference No. ANR-10-EQPX-50 and FEMTOTEM ANR-14-CE26-0013. FJGA acknowledges...

Agradecimentos: MK wants to thank F. Houdellier and A. Arbouet for fruitful discussions. This work has received support from the National Agency for Research under the program of future investment TEMPOS-CHROMATEM with the Reference No. ANR-10-EQPX-50 and FEMTOTEM ANR-14-CE26-0013. FJGA acknowledges support from ERC (Advanced Grant 789104-eNANO) and the Spanish MINECO (MAT2017-88492-R and SEV2015-0522). LFZ and YA acknowledges support from FAPESP (grants 2014/23399-9 and 2017/00259-5)

Abstract: We report on a novel way of performing stimulated electron energy-loss and energy-gain spectroscopy (sEELS/sEEGS) experiments that does not require a pulsed gun. In this scheme, a regular scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) equipped with a conventional continuous electron gun...

Abstract: We report on a novel way of performing stimulated electron energy-loss and energy-gain spectroscopy (sEELS/sEEGS) experiments that does not require a pulsed gun. In this scheme, a regular scanning transmission electron microscope (STEM) equipped with a conventional continuous electron gun is fitted with a modified EELS detector and a light injector in the object chamber. The modification of the EELS detector allows one to expose the EELS camera during tunable time intervals that can be synchronized with nanosecond laser pulses hitting the sample, therefore allowing us to collect only those electrons that have interacted with the sample under light irradiation. Using similar to 5 ns laser pulses of similar to 2 eV photon energy on various plasmonic silver samples, we obtain evidence of sEELS/sEEGS through the emergence of up to two loss and gain peaks in the spectra at +/- 2 and +/- 4 eV. Because this approach does not involve any modification of the gun, our method retains the original performances of the microscope in terms of energy resolution and spectral imaging with and without light injection. Compared to pulsed-gun techniques, our method is mainly limited to a perturbative regime (typically no more that one gain event per incident electron), which allows us to observe resonant effects, in particular when the plasmon energy of a silver nanostructure matches the laser photon energy. In this situation, EELS and EEGS signals are enhanced in proportion to n + 1 and n, respectively, where n is the average plasmon population due to the external illumination. The n term is associated with stimulated loss and gain processes, and the term of 1 corresponds to conventional (spontaneous) loss. The EELS part of the spectrum is therefore an incoherent superposition of spontaneous and stimulated EEL events. This is confirmed by a proper quantum-mechanical description of the electron/light/plasmon system incorporating light-plasmon and plasmon-electron interactions, as well as inelastic plasmon decay

FUNDAÇÃO DE AMPARO À PESQUISA DO ESTADO DE SÃO PAULO - FAPESP

2014/23399-9; 2017/00259-5

Fechado