Interplay of free electrons: Tailored electron pulses for improved electron microscopy

Electron microscopes provide unique vistas of nanoscale structures, but their resolution is limited by the mutual repulsion of electrons. Researchers in Göttingen have now succeeded in precisely measuring the influence of these interactions. They discovered an “energetic fingerprint” in which the distribution of the electrons’ velocities is characteristic of their respective numbers. This finding has enabled the team to develop a method that could increase the performance of established electron microscopes and open up a new interface between electron microscopy and quantum technology.