Advances in high-resolution RIXS for the study of excitation spectra under high pressure

Abstract

ABSTRACTHard X-ray resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) is a promising X-ray spectroscopic tool for measuring low-energy excitation spectra from complex materials under high pressure. In the past, these measurements have been stymied by technical difficulties inherent in measuring a tiny sample, held at high pressure, inside a diamond anvil cell. Now, due to substantial advances in X-ray instrumentation, high-resolution ( meV) RIXS spectrometers at third-generation synchrotron radiation sources have started to successfully address these samples in their extreme environment. However, compared to elastic X-ray scattering and X-ray emission spectroscopy, RIXS is a very photon hungry technique and high-resolution RIXS for samples under high pressure is in its infancy. In this review, the fundamentals of the high-resolution RIXS and associated instrumentation are presented, as well as technical details of diamond anvil cells, sample preparation, and the measurement geometry. Experimental data from measurements of 3d- and 5d-transition metal oxides are shown and future improvements of the RIXS technique in the context of high pressure are discussed.