Imaging and controlling electron motion and chemical structural dynamics of biological system in real time and space

Ultrafast electron microscopy (UEM) has found widespread applications in physics, chemistry, and materials science, enabling real-space imaging of dynamics on ultrafast timescales. Recent advances have pushed the temporal resolution of UEM into the attosecond regime, giving rise to attomicroscopy—a technique capable of directly visualizing electron motion. In this work, we extend the capabilities of this powerful imaging tool to investigate ultrafast electron dynamics in a biological system by imaging and controlling light-induced electronic and chemical changes in the conductive network of multicellular cable bacteria. Using electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS), we first observed a laser-induced increase in π-electron density, accompanied by spectral peak broadening and a blueshift—features indicative of enhanced conductivity and structural modification. We also traced the effect of ultrafast laser pumping on bulk plasmon electron oscillations by monitoring changes in the plasmon-like resonance peak. Additionally, we visualized laser-induced chemical structural changes in cable bacteria in real space. The imaging results revealed carbon enrichment alongside a depletion of nitrogen and oxygen, highlighting the controllability of chemical dynamics. Moreover, time-resolved EELS measurements further showed a picosecond-scale decay and recovery of both π-electron and plasmonic features, attributed to electron–phonon coupling. In addition to shedding light on the mechanism of electron motion in cable bacteria, these findings demonstrate ultrafast modulation and switching of conductivity, underscoring their potential as bio-optoelectronic components operating on ultrafast timescales.