Time-correlated electron and photon counting microscopy

Electron microscopy based on high-energy electrons allows nanoscopic analytical imaging taking advantage of secondarily generated particles. Especially for cathodoluminescence, the correlation between primary incident electrons and emitted photons includes information on the entire interaction process. However, electron-photon time correlation tracking the relaxation dynamics of luminescent materials has so far not been achieved. In this work, we propose time-correlated electron and photon counting microscopy, where coincidence events of primary electrons and generated photons are counted after interaction. The electron-photon time correlation enables extracting a unique lifetime of the emitter independent of the photon state, accounting for coherent and incoherent photon generation processes. We also introduce a correlation factor and discuss the correlation between electrons and generated coherent photons. Through momentum selection, we observe correlation changes indicating the presence of pair correlation originated from the electron-photon entanglement. The present work lays the foundation for developing next-generation electron microscopy based on quantum correlation. The time correlation between primary electrons and the secondary particles in electron microscopies encloses information of the whole interaction and excitation dynamics. The authors introduce time-correlated electron and photon counting microscopy that acts as a universal analysis approach for photon generation processes and arbitrary emitters.