ABSTRACT
We demonstrate that a focused beam of high-energy electrons can be used to map the vibrational modes of a material with a spatial resolution of the order of one nanometer. Our demonstration is performed on boron nitride, a polar dielectric which gives rise to both localized and delocalized electron-vibrational scattering, either of which can be selected in our off-axial experimental geometry. Our experimental results are well supported by our calculations, and should reconcile current controversy regarding the spatial resolution achievable in vibrational mapping with focused electron beams.
ABSTRACT
It is demonstrated how an electron-optical arrangement consisting of two electron biprisms can be used to generate three-wave vortex lattices with effective lattice spacings between 0.1 and 1 nm. The presence of vortices in these lattices was verified by using a third biprism to perform direct phase measurements via off-axis electron holography. The use of three-wave lattices for nanoscale electromagnetic field measurements via vortex interferometry is discussed, including the accuracy of vortex position measurements and the interpretation of three-wave vortex lattices in the presence of partial spatial coherence.
