Ultrafast light-driven electron slide – new publication in Nature Physics
When extremely intense laser pulses interact with matter, electrons can be liberated from atoms or metals and exhibit complex dynamics. These so-called strong-field dynamics are now understood on the attosecond timescale—an achievement recognized with the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics. Until now, however, studies have focused mainly on one particular class of electrons: the backscattered electrons—those that recollide with the parent ion or the metal surface after emission, thereby gaining additional energy.
In our latest manuscript, published in Nature Physics, we demonstrate that this level of precision can now also be achieved with directly emitted electrons when they are released from a metallic needle tip. The optical near field surrounding the tip, extending only a few nanometers, plays a crucial role by providing information about the exact time of electron emission. Experimentally, this manifests as a new energy structure at low electron energies. Together with our theory colleagues from Rostock, the group of Thomas Fennel, we demonstrated excellent agreement between theory and experiment—and show that the electrons effectively “surf” the optical near field.
Please also see the press release of the FAU.