Space-time imaging, magnification and time reversal of matter waves

Abstract

An imaging system is proposed for matter-wave functions that is based on producing a quadratic phase modulation on the wavefunction of a charged particle, analogous to that produced by a space or time lens. The modulation is produced by co-propagating the wavepacket within an extremum of the harmonic vector and scalar potentials associated with a slow-wave electromagnetic structure. By preceding and following this interaction with appropriate dispersion, characteristic of a solution to the time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation, a system results that is capable of magnifying (i.e., stretching or compressing the space- and time-scales) and time-reversing an arbitrary quantum wavefunction.