Physics

Electron

Laser

Optics

Phase space

Atomic physics

Scattering

Beam splitter

Coherence (philosophical gambling strategy)

Phase (matter)

Quantum mechanics

Momentum transfer

Physical Review Research

This paper demonstrates a laser-based and femtosecond-switchable inelastic electron beam splitter. Coherent optical phase modulation of 200-keV electrons at a thin electron-transparent membrane is used to prepare a high-purity three-dimensional momentum superposition state, which is characterized in energy and momentum space.

High-purity free-electron momentum states prepared by three-dimensional optical phase modulation