Simulations for x-ray imaging of wave-packet dynamics

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that x-ray scattering patterns, when combined with measurements of the scattered electron and photon momenta, can reveal detailed electron wave packet dynamics and properties of unknown states.

Contribution

It introduces a method to extract electron wave packet dynamics from x-ray scattering patterns by measuring final states of electrons and photons simultaneously.

Findings

Scattering patterns relate to the Fourier transform of the wave function.

Different final state measurement scenarios are analyzed.

The method can identify properties of unknown stationary states.

Abstract

Previous work on imaging wave packet dynamics with x-ray scattering revealed that the scattering patterns deviate substantially from the notion of instantaneous momentum density of the wave packet. Here we show that scattering patterns can provide clear insights into the electron wave packet dynamics if the final state of the scattered electron and the scattered photon momentum are determined simultaneously. The scattering probability is shown to be proportional to the modulus square of the Fourier transform of the instantaneous spatial wave function weighted by the final state of the electron. Several cases for the choice of final state of the electron are explored. First, the case where the final state can be measured up to a given principal quantum number $n$ and orbital angular momentum $l$ are presented. Next, the case where the final states can only be determined up to a given energy is discussed. Finally, the case of an initial wave packet consisting of a large amount of a known stationary state and a small amount of an unknown stationary state is examined. The scattering profile is used to determine the properties of the unknown state in the wave packet.