Abstract
Decoherence of electron beams by electromagnetic field fluctuations
Fluctuations And Noise In Materials, pp.285-295
Conference on Fluctuations and Noise in Materials (Maspalomas, SPAIN, 26/May/2004 - 28/May/2004)
2004
Abstract
Electromagnetic field fluctuations are responsible for the destruction of electron coherence (dephasing) in solids and in vacuum electron beam interference. The vacuum fluctuations are modified by conductors and dielectrics, as in the Casimir effect, and hence, bodies in the vicinity of the beams can influence the beam coherence. We calculate the quenching of interference of two beams moving in vacuum parallel to a thick plate with permittivity is an element of(omega) = is an element of(0) + i4pisigma/omega. In case of an ideal conductor or dielectric (\\is an element of\\ = infinity) the dephasing is suppressed when the beams are close to the surface of the plate, because the random tangential electric field Et, responsible for dephasing, is zero at the surface. The situation is changed dramatically when is an element of(0) or sigma are finite. In this case there exists a layer near the surface, where the fluctuations of Et are strong due to evanescent near fields. The thickness of this near - field layer is of the order of the wavelength in the dielectric or the skin depth in the conductor, corresponding to a frequency which is the inverse electron time of flight from the emitter to the detector. When the beams are within this layer their dephasing is enhanced and for slow enough electrons can be even stronger than far from the surface.
Details
- Title
- Decoherence of electron beams by electromagnetic field fluctuations
- Creators
- Y Levinson (null)
- Resource Type
- Abstract
- Publication Details
- Fluctuations And Noise In Materials, pp.285-295; 2004
- Number of pages
- 11
- Language
- English
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1117/12.547345
- Conference
- Conference on Fluctuations and Noise in Materials (Maspalomas, SPAIN, 26/May/2004 - 28/May/2004)
- Scientific Unit
- The Weizmann Institute of Science
- Record Identifier
- 993262042503596
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