Ultrafast photoemission electron microscopy: Capability and potential in probing plasmonic nanostructures from...

The near-field properties and dynamics of plasmonic nanostructures play a crucial role in several fundamental concepts in physics and chemistry, and they are widely relevant in plasmonic applications. Ultrafast photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) is a novel approach that has been widely applied to probe plasmonic nanostructures from multiple domains. Furthermore, PEEM is the only technique that provides nanometer spatial resolution, sub-femtosecond temporal resolution, and tens to hundreds of millielectron volt energy resolution. This allows for extremely sensitive observations of plasmonic field oscillations, field dephasing, and hot electrons. This Perspective provides a brief overview of the basic principles and main applications of ultrafast PEEM. The research progress of ultrafast PEEM in plasmonics is highlighted from three points of view: near-field imaging, near-field spectroscopy, and ultrafast dynamics. Future applications of PEEM in plasmonics for the probing of plasmonic hot electron dynamics in the energy and time domains are proposed and discussed.