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arXiv · 2604.23569

Quantum echo-enabled high harmonic generation using ultrafast electrons

Yangfan He·Chenhao Pan·Bin Zhang·Yiming Pan
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Abstract

Controlling and generating ultrafast free-electron wavepackets via laser is pivotal for photon-induced near-field electron microscopes (PINEM) and also for developing compact, coherent free-electron radiation sources. Here, we present a quantum echo-enabled high-harmonic generation (QEEHG) scheme that manipulates the quantum phase of electron wavepackets to produce tunable, coherent high-harmonic radiation at ultrashort wavelengths. This framework, inspired by the EEHG concept for free-electron lasers by Stupikov et al. (2009), leverages multiphoton PINEM scattering followed by dispersive chirp sections to induce quantum interference among photon sidebands. Such interference selectively enhances a targeted harmonic order - for instance, the 60th harmonic at 13.3nm from an 800nm seeding - while suppressing unwanted radiations. The optimization of harmonic orders and its non-classical spectral characteristics are analyzed. This quantum echo technique establishes a promising paradigm for compact coherent sources and provides new perspectives for quantum wavefunction shaping in ultrafast electron microscopy and diffraction.

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Yangfan He, Chenhao Pan, Bin Zhang, Yiming Pan. 2026-04-26. Quantum echo-enabled high harmonic generation using ultrafast electrons. https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.23569

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