Bridging light, microwaves and electrons for precision calibration
EPFL researchers have developed a method to calibrate electron spectrometers with extreme accuracy by linking microwave, optical, and free-electron frequencies.
Electron techniques encompass a set of experimental methods that exploit the wave–particle duality and charge of electrons to probe, image, or modify matter at microscopic to atomic scales. Key modalities include electron microscopy (e.g., TEM, SEM, STEM), electron diffraction, and various electron spectroscopy techniques (such as AES and EELS), which rely on controlled electron beams and their interactions with atomic potentials, electronic structure, and surface topography. These techniques provide high spatial and energy resolution, enabling quantitative characterization of crystallography, composition, electronic states, and defects in materials, and are fundamental in condensed matter physics, materials science, nanotechnology, and surface science.
EPFL researchers have developed a method to calibrate electron spectrometers with extreme accuracy by linking microwave, optical, and free-electron frequencies.
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