Resonant inelastic x-ray incarnation of Young's double-slit experiment

Abstract

Young's archetypal double-slit experiment forms the basis for modern diffraction techniques: the elastic scattering of waves yields an interference pattern that captures the real-space structure. Here, we report on an inelastic incarnation of Young's experiment and demonstrate that resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) measures interference patterns which reveal the symmetry and character of electronic excited states in the same way as elastic scattering does for the ground state. A prototypical example is provided by the quasi-molecular electronic structure of insulating Ba3CeIr2O9 with structural Ir dimers and strong spin-orbit coupling. The double 'slits' in this resonant experiment are the highly localized core levels of the two Ir atoms within a dimer. The clear double-slit-type sinusoidal interference patterns that we observe allow us to characterize the electronic excitations, demonstrating the power of RIXS interferometry to unravel the electronic structure of solids containing, e.g., dimers, trimers, ladders, or other superstructures.

8 pages, 8 figures

References in corpus (7)

• Novel Jeff = 1/2 Mott State Induced by Relativistic Spin-Orbit Coupling in Sr2IrO4
• Crystal field splitting and correlation effect on the electronic structure of A2IrO3
• Importance of anisotropic exchange interactions in honeycomb iridates. Minimal model for zigzag antiferromagnetic order in Na${}_2$IrO${}_3$
• Spin liquid behaviour in Jeff=1/2 triangular lattice Ba3IrTi2O9
• Evidence of quantum dimer excitations in Sr${}_3$Ir${}_2$O${}_7$
• Possibility to realize spin-orbit-induced correlated physics in iridium fluorides
• Experimental signatures of phase interference and sub-femtosecond time dynamics on the incident energy axis of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering

Cited by in corpus (13)

• Spin-orbit-entangled electronic phases in 4$d$ and 5$d$ transition-metal compounds
• Quasimolecular electronic structure of the spin-liquid candidate Ba${}_3$InIr${}_2$O${}_9$
• Quasimolecular $J_{\mathrm{tet}}$=3/2 moments in the cluster Mott insulator GaTa${}_4$Se${}_8$
• RIXS interferometry and the role of disorder in the quantum magnet Ba${}_3$Ti${}_{3-x}$Ir${}_x$O${}_9$
• Multiple field-induced phases in the frustrated triangular magnet Cs${}_3$Fe${}_2$Br${}_9$
• Electronic excitations in $5d^4$ J=0 Os${}^{4+}$ halides studied by RIXS and optical spectroscopy
• Spin-orbit excitons and electronic configuration of the $5d^4$ insulator Sr${}_3$Ir${}_2$O${}_7$F${}_2$
• Charge ordering in Ir dimers in the ground state of Ba${}_5$AlIr${}_2$O${}_{11}$
• Role of disorder in the electronic and magnetic properties of Ag${}_3$LiIr${}_2$O${}_6$
• A set-up for Hard X-ray Time-resolved Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering at SwissFEL
• A $j_{\mathrm{eff}}=1/2$ pseudospinon continuum in CaIrO${}_3$
• Quasimolecular electronic structure of the trimer iridate Ba${}_4$NbIr${}_3$O${}_{12}$
• Novel electronic state of honeycomb iridate Cu${}_2$IrO${}_3$ at high pressure