Far-Field Electron Spectroscopy of Nanoparticles

A new type of excitations by highly focused electron beams in scanning transmission electron microscopes is predicted for nanoparticles. The calculated electron energy loss spectra of metallic (silver) and insulating (SiO(sub2)) nanoplatelets reveal dramatic enhancement of radiative electromagnetic modes within the light cone, allowed by the breakdown of momentum conservation in the inelastic scattering event. These modes can be accessed with e-beams in the vacuum far-field zone, similarly to the recently developed far-field optics based on surface plasmon resonances.