Quantum-computer electron microscope aims to extract more data from fewer electrons

A team at TU Wien, together with researchers from the University of Vienna, JKU Linz, and the University of Innsbruck, has developed a method to harness the quantum information carried by electrons in an electron microscope. The approach couples the electron beam to a trapped-ion quantum computer positioned along the beam path, allowing controlled quantum entanglement between individual electrons and ions in the quantum processor.

In conventional electron microscopy, imaging at atomic resolution typically requires a large number of electrons, which can damage sensitive specimens such as individual proteins. By entangling each electron with the quantum computer and applying specific quantum-computing operations, the team can combine information from multiple electrons to achieve a stronger signal with far fewer electrons.

The theoretical work, accepted for publication in Physical Review Letters and available on arXiv, demonstrates mathematically that quantum algorithms can overcome statistical limits inherent in classical electron counting. The algorithms were developed in collaboration with Johannes Kofler's group at JKU Linz.

Experimental implementation is now underway at TU Wien's University Service Center for Transmission Electron Microscopy (USTEM). An ion-based quantum computer developed by Philipp Schindler's team at the University of Innsbruck will be integrated into an electron microscope there.

The project brings together Austrian expertise in quantum information, quantum computing, and electron microscopy through the quantA Cluster of Excellence. Researchers emphasize that the technique is particularly valuable for radiation-sensitive samples where minimizing electron dose is critical.

The method does not replace the imaging function of the electron microscope; rather, it adds a quantum-computing layer that processes the quantum state of each electron after it interacts with the sample. This allows extraction of information that would otherwise be lost in noise.

While the theoretical advantages have been proven, the experimental integration remains a next step. The team notes that the approach relies on maintaining coherent quantum states during the electron-computer interaction, a condition that will be tested in the upcoming hardware implementation.