Abstract
Following the very recent experimental realization of electron vortices, we consider their interaction with matter, in particular, the transfer of orbital angular momentum in the context of electron energy-loss spectroscopy, and the recently observed dichroism in thin film magnetized iron samples. We show here that orbital angular momentum exchange does indeed occur between electron vortices and the internal electronic-type motion, as well as center-of-mass motion of atoms in the electric dipole approximation. This contrasts with the case of optical vortices where such transfer only occurs in transitions involving multipoles higher than the dipole. The physical basis of the observed dichroism is explained.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 074802 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-4 |
| Number of pages | 4 |
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Volume | 108 |
| Issue number | 7 |
| Early online date | 15 Feb 2012 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 15 Feb 2012 |
Keywords
- CIRCULAR-DICHROISM
- LIGHT
- VORTEX BEAMS