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Abstract:
This chapter reviews and discusses recent experimental and theoretical work performed by the authors to explore new strategies toward the generation and implementation of ultrashort, nanometersized light and electron pulses. It describes a set of experiments realizing adiabatic nanofocusing. It shows how propagating SPP wavepackets, launched by means of a grating coupler etched into the side of sharp, conical, gold tapers are transformed into localized plasmon excitations at the very apex of this taper. Using the nonlinear optical response of the tip apex in combination with laser pulse shaping the optical waveform in the adiabatic nanofocus can be controlled with femtosecond precisions. The chapter studies the photoemission of electrons from such nanometer-sized gold tapers. It shows that electron acceleration within strong near-field gradients close to the apex has a profound influence on their energy- and angle-distribution in the strong-field regime.
