Electron guiding in macroscopic borosilicate capillaries with large bending angles

• Published in: Scientific reports Vol. 11; no. 1; p. 8345
• Main Authors: Nguyen, Hai-Dang, Wulfkühler, Jan-Philipp, Heisig, Jörg, Tajmar, Martin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London Nature Publishing Group UK 16-04-2021; Nature Publishing Group; Nature Portfolio
• Subjects: 639/301; 639/766; Atoms & subatomic particles; Capillaries; Electrodes; Energy; Experiments; Humanities and Social Sciences; multidisciplinary; Science; Science (multidisciplinary)
• ISSN: 2045-2322; 2045-2322
• DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-87156-4

This work presents experiments about the transmission of electrons with an energy of around 15 keV with beam currents up to 20 µA through macroscopic glass capillaries. A systematic study was conducted to experimentally investigate the transmission of electrons through borosilicate glass capillaries with curve angles of 90°, 180°, 270° and 360° for the first time. The focus of the work was to identify the conditions under which the injected electron current is transmitted through the capillary. It was also shown that the transmission process in the macroscopic capillaries can be optically observed by cathodoluminescence—the interaction of electrons with the capillary surface causes locally a blue glow. Different distinctive “glow states” were observed and are found to correlate with different states of electron transmission.