Diffractive Imaging of Transient Electronic Coherences in Molecules with Electron Vortices

Direct imaging of transient electronic coherences in molecules has been challenging, with the potential to control electron motions and influence reaction outcomes. We propose a novel time-resolved vortex electron diffraction technique to spatially resolve transient electronic coherences in isolated molecules. By analyzing helical dichroism diffraction signals, the contribution of electronic populations cancels out, isolating the purely electronic coherence signals. This allows direct monitoring of the time evolution and decoherence of transient electronic coherences in molecules.