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Ultrashort Electron Wave Packets via Frequency-Comb Synthesis

Matteo Aluffi1,†, Thomas Vasselon1,†, Seddik Ouacel1, Hermann Edlbauer1, Clément Geffroy1, Preden Roulleau2, D. Christian Glattli2, Giorgos Georgiou3, and Christopher Bäuerle1,*

  • 1Université Grenoble Alpes, CNRS, Grenoble INP, Institut Néel, Grenoble 38000, France
  • 2Université Paris-Saclay, CEA, CNRS, SPEC, Gif-sur-Yvette 91191, France
  • 3James Watt School of Engineering, Electronics and Nanoscale Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, United Kingdom

  • *Corresponding Author: christopher.bauerle@neel.cnrs.fr
  • †These authors contributed equally to this work.
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Phys. Rev. Applied 20, 034005 – Published 5 September, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevApplied.20.034005

Abstract

Single-electron sources are an essential component of modern quantum nanoelectronic devices. Owing to their high accuracy and stability, they have been successfully employed for metrology applications, studying fundamental matter interactions and more recently for electron quantum optics. They are traditionally driven by state-of-the-art arbitrary wave-form generators that are capable of producing single-electron pulses on the sub-100-ps time scale. In this work, we use an alternative approach for generating ultrashort electron wave packets. By combining several harmonics provided by a frequency comb, we synthesize Lorentzian voltage pulses and then use them to generate electron wave packets. Through this technique, we report on the generation and detection of an electron wave packet with a temporal duration of 27 ps generated on top of the Fermi sea of a two-dimensional electron gas. Electron pulses this short enable studies on elusive ultrafast fundamental quantum dynamics in nanoelectronic systems and may pave the way to implementing flying-electron qubits by means of levitons.

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Phys. Rev. Applied 20, 034005– Published 5 September, 2023
  • Received 2 January 2023
  • Revised 7 July 2023
  • Accepted 12 July 2023
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