Probing quantum-coherent dynamics with free electrons

Abstract:Recent advances in time-resolved cathodoluminescence have enabled ultrafast studies of single emitters in quantum materials with femtosecond temporal resolution. Here, we develop a quantum theory modeling the dynamics of free electrons interacting with quantum emitters in arbitrary initial states. Our analysis reveals that a free electron can induce transient coherent oscillations in the populations when the system is initially prepared in a coherent superposition of its states. Moreover, the electron energy spectrum exhibits a clear signature of the quantum coherence and sensitivity to the transition frequency of the emitter. These coherence effects manifest themselves as oscillations in the zero-loss peak of the spectral energy-loss probability. Our findings pave the way for characterization of quantum-coherent dynamics of individual quantum emitters by electron-probes.

13 pages (7 main text + 6 supplementary), 6 figures. Comments are welcome

arXiv:2512.24883 [quant-ph]

(or arXiv:2512.24883v3 [quant-ph] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2512.24883 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite

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