Detecting linear dichroism with atomic resolution.

Atomic-resolution electron linear dichroism in scanning transmission electron microscopy resolves Mn 3d e g orbital polarization at individual atomic columns in La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3 with sub-ångström precision.

• Why it matters: X-ray linear dichroism cannot reach atomic spatial resolution, limiting direct tests of orbital polarization and symmetry breaking in quantum materials.
• What they did: The method uses electron energy loss spectroscopy with an atomic-sized probe and momentum transfers selected along two orthogonal directions to visualize orbital occupation in real space.
• The result: In strained La 0.7 Sr 0.3 MnO 3, compressive strain stabilizes 3z 2 -r 2 occupation while tensile strain favors x 2 -y 2, validating the approach against X-ray measurements and enabling two optimized signal-extraction protocols without loss of sensitivity.

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