Abstract:
The use of short photoelectron pulses has opened up the possibility of studying structural dynamics with high spatiotemporal resolution. Within the framework of this methodology, a pulsed electron beam formed due to the photoelectric effect provides probing of light-induced fast processes in matter at different moments in time. The integration of pico-femtosecond laser technology and electron optics in an experimental setup has proven to be extremely effective for observing the behavior of atomic-molecular structures at their natural scales in the spatiotemporal continuum. In imaging mode, this concept has led to the creation of 4D electron microscopy, and, in the electron diffraction mode, a unique opportunity has appeared to shoot atomic-molecular movies. The high sensitivity of the method in combination with relatively low radiation damage to the sample (in contrast to an X-ray free electron laser) has made it possible to study promising thin-film materials on compact setups in standard laboratories. The review examines the development of this scientific field from the study of nanosecond structural dynamics to femtosecond quantum tomography based on ultrafast electron diffraction.
Keywords:ultrafast electron microscopy and diffraction, dynamic processes, structural dynamics, atomic-molecular cinema, femtosecond time resolution, atomic spatial resolution, electron tomography
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