  Atomically resolved electron energy-loss spectroscopy experiments are
commonplace in modern aberrationcorrected transmission electron microscopes.
Energy resolution has also been increasing steadily with the continuous
improvement of electron monochromators. Electronic excitations however are
known to be delocalised due to the long range interaction of the charged
accelerated electrons with the electrons in a sample. This has made several
scientists question the value of combined high spatial and energy resolution
for mapping interband transitions and possibly phonon excitation in crystals.
In this paper we demonstrate experimentally that atomic resolution information
is indeed available at very low energy losses around 100 meV expressed as a
modulation of the broadening of the zero loss peak. Careful data analysis
allows us to get a glimpse of what are likely phonon excitations with both an
energy loss and gain part. These experiments confirm recent theoretical
predictions on the strong localisation of phonon excitations as opposed to
electronic excitations and show that a combination of atomic resolution and
recent developments in increased energy resolution will offer great benefit for
mapping phonon modes in real space.
