Publication date: 8th June 2021
Laser-driven optical near fields mediate stimulated emission and absorption of photons by free electrons, providing unique control over the electron wave front in both space and time. Here, we explore how stimulated electron-near-field-coupling can be achieved in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) with a standard Schottky field emission gun. We design a layered metallo-dielectric metasurface to tailor optical near-fields that allow for efficient coupling to 5-keV electrons at an optical pump photon energy of 1.2 eV. The electron energy distribution is measured using an electrostatic retarding field analyzer (RFA), providing an energy resolution on the order of 0.1 eV. For our SEM, we find an intrinsic electron energy spread < 0.9 eV, allowing to fully resolve discrete energy-gain and loss-sidebands that reveal the quantum nature of the electron-near-field interaction process.