In this talk, we establish chip-based integrated silicon nitride photonics as a platform for experiments on the interactions between free electrons and light. Placing the fibre-coupled microresonators in a transmission electron microscope, we observe a quantised loss of energy for electrons passing the waveguide in an aloof geometry and inelastically scattering off the initially empty cavity modes while generating photons. Coincidence measurements performed on both particles reveal the common origin of these correlated electron-photon pairs, while post-selection allows for enhanced imaging of the resonator’s optical modes and promises applications as a high-fidelity heralded photon Fock state source.
Here we establish a platform for efficient electron-photon pair generation by integrating a photonic chip-based silicon nitride microresonator into a transmission electron microscope. The free electrons passing the resonator scatter inelastically with the empty optical modes, leading to a quantized electron-energy loss as well as the generation of cavity photons.
The temporal correlation of their detection demonstrates the generation of electron-photon pairs. Selection of these pairs allows further analysis of the generation process, as well as the usage of the platform as a high-fidelity single-photon or single-electron source. This promises new experimental capabilities in free-electron quantum optics.
Advancing quantum information and communication requires the control of quantum correlations in complementary degrees of freedom. In this work, we generate electron-photon pair states via inelastic scattering of free electrons at a high-Q photonic-chip-based microresonator. In analogy to spontaneous parametric down-conversion, time- and energy-resolved detection of both particles enables various heralding schemes. We experimentally characterize this new heralded source of single photons and free electrons. Ultimately, these results underpin the recent progress in free-electron quantum optics, promising electron-photon entanglement, tailored photon Fock states, and quantum-enhanced electron imaging.
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