Observing charge separation in nanoantennas via ultrafast point-projection electron microscopy

Observing the motion of electrons on their natural nanometer length and femtosecond time scales is a fundamental goal of and an open challenge for contemporary ultrafast science(1-5). At present, optical techniques and electron microscopy mostly provide either ultrahigh temporal or spatial resolution, and microscopy techniques with combined space-time resolution require further development(6-11). In this study, we create an ultrafast electron source via plasmon nanofocusing on a sharp gold taper and implement this source in an ultrafast point-projection electron microscope. This source is used in an optical pump-electron probe experiment to study ultrafast photoemissions from a nanometer-sized plasmonic antenna(12-15). We probe the real space motion of the photoemitted electrons with a 20-nm spatial resolution and a 25-fs time resolution and reveal the deflection of probe electrons by residual holes in the metal. This is a step toward time-resolved microscopy of electronic motion in nanostructures.