LAUSR

If an electron beam is periodically modulated in velocity, for example by laser field cycles, it can transform upon further propagation into a train of attosecond or shorter electron pulses. Here, I investigate the quantum mechanics of such an approach by numerically solving the Schrodinger equation in the time domain. There is a limit for the shortest electron pulses that can be achieved, and it depends on simple relations between the electron energy, the laser period, and the modulation strength. These results allow to design future experiments and to compare the measured electron pulse shapes to their quantum limit.