title: Generation of 0.4-keV femtosecond electron pulses using impulsively excited surface plasmons.
abstract: We demonstrate the generation of 0.4-keV, sub-27 fs electron pulses using low-intensity laser pulses from a Ti:sapphire oscillator through the excitation of surface plasmon waves on a time scale within the plasmon lifetime. Modeling of the ponderomotive electron pulse acceleration yields electron energy spectra that are in excellent agreement with the observed ones. Our work opens a doorway for time-resolved experimentation using low-power, high-repetition rate laser pulses.
authors.affiliation: Ultrafast Photonics and Nano-Optics Laboratory, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada T6G 2V4. irvine@ece.ualberta.ca
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Irvine
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dechant
authors.forename: A Y
authors.initials: AY
authors.lastname: Elezzabi