Roadmap for Quantum Nanophotonics with Free Electrons
Abstract
Over the past century, continuous advancements in electron microscopy have enabled the synthesis, control, and characterization of high-quality free-electron beams. These probes carry an evanescent electromagnetic field that can drive localized excitations and provide high-resolution information on material structures and their optical responses, currently reaching the sub-{\aa}ngstr\"om and few-meV regime. Moreover, combining free electrons with pulsed light sources in ultrafast electron microscopy adds temporal resolution in the sub-femtosecond range while offering enhanced control of the electron wave function. Beyond their exceptional capabilities for time-resolved spectromicroscopy, free electrons are emerging as powerful tools in quantum nanophotonics, on par with photons in their ability to carry and transfer quantum information, create entanglement within and with a specimen, and reveal previously inaccessible details on nanoscale quantum phenomena. This Roadmap outlines the current state of this rapidly evolving field, highlights key challenges and opportunities, and discusses future directions through a collection of topical sections prepared by leading experts.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2503.14678,
title = {Roadmap for Quantum Nanophotonics with Free Electrons},
author = {F. Javier García de Abajo and Albert Polman and Cruz I. Velasco and Mathieu Kociak and Luiz H. G. Tizei and Odile Stéphan and Sophie Meuret and Takumi Sannomiya and Keiichirou Akiba and Yves Auad and Armin Feist and Claus Ropers and Peter Baum and John H. Gaida and Murat Sivis and Hugo Lourenço-Martins and Luca Serafini and Johan Verbeeck and Beatrice Matilde Ferrari and Cameron J. R. Duncan and Maria Giulia Bravi and Irene Ostroman and Giovanni Maria Vanacore and Andrea Konečná and Nahid Talebi and Ethan Nussinson and Ron Ruimy and Yuval Adiv and Arthur Niedermayr and Ido Kaminer and Valerio Di Giulio and Ofer Kfir and Zhexin Zhao and Roy Shiloh and Yuya Morimoto and Martin Kozák and Peter Hommelhoff and Francesco Barantani and Fabrizio Carbone and Fatemeh Chahshouri and Wiebke Albrecht and Sergio Rey and Toon Coenen and Erik Kieft and Hoelen L. Lalandec Robert and Frank de Jong and Magdalena Solà-Garcia},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2503.14678},
year = {2025}
}