RF Cavity-based Ultrafast Transmission Electron Microscopy

Ultrafast electron microscopy is among the most significant inventions of the 21st century, enabling an understanding of structural dynamics on atomic spatial and temporal scales. With this perspective in mind, the chapter first provides an overview of the state-of-the-art ultrafast electron microscopy field. Afterwards, the development of the first RF cavity-based ultrafast transmission electron microscope at the Eindhoven University of Technology is discussed. This device provides ∼100 femtosecond temporal resolution and an extremely high repetition rate (3 GHz or 75 MHz) while preserving the atomic spatial resolution and the high electron beam quality of a conventional transmission electron microscope, and avoiding the need for a powerful photoemission laser. The chapter presents the working principle and design of the Eindhoven ultrafast microscope along with the unique applications that have emerged from this method, ranging from high-repetition-rate pump–probe experiments and radiation damage suppression to coherent manipulation of electron pulses with light.