Resonant x-ray Raman scattering is a strongly coherent process. The well defined phase relations between scattering channels through the core excited states localized at different atoms result in a conservation of the electronic crystal momentum. However, as we show here, the zero-point and thermal vibrations dephase these scattering channels and lead to incoherent contributions with different spectral shapes. The relative strength of the coherent and incoherent contributions are found to strongly depend on temperature via a Debye-Waller factor. This results in a characteristic temperature dependence of the spectral profile of the resonant x-ray Raman scattering.

• Received 24 March 2000

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.62.13996