Towards field-resolved visible microscopy of 2D materials

Abstract

The investigation of interaction of light with various materials on the sub-cycle time scale requires field sampling techniques with incredibly high temporal resolution. Electro-optic sampling (EOS) provides the sub-wavelength resolution both in time and space giving the opportunity for ultrafast microscopy to observe response of electrons and quasiparticles in real time. For the frequencies approaching the petahertz scale, the oscillations of light are incredibly hard to resolve. In particular, EOS has not been demonstrated for wavelengths below 700 nm. In this perspective, we discuss the potential extension of EOS to cover complete visible spectrum and the impact that it can give to the nanophotonics and material science. Specifically, we describe how the ultrafast dynamics of quasiparticles in some 2D materials can be tracked using the space-resolved EOS.