Imaging coherent electronic motion in atoms by ultrafast electron diffraction

Ultrafast electron diffraction from time-varying coherent electronic states of the H atom is analyzed theoretically. This theoretical analysis identifies the conditions necessary to obtain time-resolved measurements. Electron diffraction from coherent electronic states exhibiting breathing and wiggling modes of electronic motion are simulated numerically in order to demonstrate the capability of attosecond electron pulses to image electron dynamics. The scattering patterns and their temporal behaviors are shown to differentiate the two kinds of target electronic motion. Moreover, our simulations show that inelastic processes contribute significantly to the diffraction patterns. Thus, although the diffraction patterns clearly distinguish different modes of target electronic motion, they cannot be easily related to the time-dependent target charge density