Transverse modulation of continuous electron beams by a structured optical cavity

Abstract Compact aberration correction at large semi-angles remains a central challenge in electron microscopy. Here we propose a phase plate for continuous electron beams based on the ponderomotive interaction with an intracavity standing wave in a near-concentric Fabry–Pérot resonator. For electrons propagating along the cavity axis, a standing wave with a Laguerre–Gaussian mode of topological charge ℓ = 1 imprints an annular phase shift opposite in sign to the third-order spherical aberration of a conventional electron lens. For an electron beam with a mean energy of 5 keV, a convergence semi-angle of 25 mrad, and a Gaussian energy-distribution FWHM of 0.1 eV, we predict that optical spherical-aberration correction of an objective lens with Cs = Cc = 1 mm produces a probe with a diameter enclosing 50% of the electron current of approximately 0.46 nm. The energy-averaged probe has an effective Strehl ratio of approximately 0.77, defined as its peak intensity relative to that of the monochromatic diffraction-limited probe for the same pupil and total electron current. The accessible transverse electron phases are determined by the resonator-supported modal basis.