Selection Rules for Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering from Tetragonal Copper-Oxides

TL;DR

This paper uses symmetry analysis to interpret resonant inelastic x-ray scattering data from tetragonal copper-oxides, revealing the symmetry properties of specific excitations and their relation to wave function symmetry.

Contribution

It applies point group representation theory to RIXS data, providing a detailed symmetry analysis and linking polarization dependence to excitation symmetry in copper-oxides.

Findings

Identified the 5 eV inelastic feature as having pure B1g symmetry.

Demonstrated how Raman selection rules are broken at nonzero momentum transfer.

Showed how RIXS can probe wave function symmetry.

Abstract

We demonstrate the utility of point group representation theory for symmetry analysis in resonant inelastic x-ray scattering. From its polarization-dependence, we show that a 5 eV inelastic feature in Sr2CuO2Cl2 has pure B1g symmetry and assign it to a transition in the cell-perturbation calculations of Simon, et. al. [Phys. Rev. B., 54, R3780 (1996)]. We discuss how Raman selection rules are broken at nonzero momentum transfer and how this can also act as a probe of wave function symmetry.