Abstract

X-ray Raman scattering can be used to excite to valence states of neutral atoms in molecules. In the impulsive case, this is faster than the electronic response of the system and can be used to excite coherent charge wavepackets. It is therefore a highly anticipated tool for the study of attosecond charge dynamics [1], which is typically restricted to cationic wavepackets created via strong-field or impulsive ionisation. With the recent development of attosecond soft X-ray pulses above 1×10¹⁷ Wcm⁻² at XFELs, the nonlinear regime of impulsive X-ray Raman is achievable, and has been demonstrated in simple gas molecules [2].

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