Correlation functions measured by indirect resonant inelastic X-ray scattering

¹ Institute-Lorentz for Theoretical Physics Universiteit Leiden - P.O. Box 9506 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands
² Theoretical Physics, Institute for Molecules and Materials Radboud Universiteit Nijmegen - P.O. Box 9010, 6500 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands
³ Department of Physics, Northern Illinois University - De Kalb, IL 60115, USA
⁴ Argonne National Laboratory - 9700 South Cass Avenue, Argonne, IL 60439, USA

Received: 24 August 2005
Accepted: 4 November 2005

Abstract

We express the cross-section for indirect resonant inelastic X-ray scattering in terms of an intrinsic dynamic correlation function of the system that is studied with this technique. We find that the cross-section is a linear combination of the charge response function and the dynamic longitudinal spin density correlation function of the electrons that couple to the core-hole. This result is asymptotically exact for both strong and weak local core-hole potentials. The relative charge and spin contribution to the inelastic spectral weight can be changed by varying the incident photon energy.