Temperature dependence and Debye-Waller factors for resonant x-ray Raman scattering in solids

Resonant x-ray Raman scattering is a strongly coherent process. The well de fined phase relations between scattering channels through the core excited states localized at different atoms result in a conservation of the electro nic crystal momentum. However, as we show here, the zero-point and thermal vibrations dephase these scattering channels and lead to incoherent contrib utions with different spectral shapes. The relative strength of the coheren t and incoherent contributions are found to strongly depend on temperature via a Debye-Waller factor. This results in a characteristic temperature dep endence of the spectral profile of the resonant x-ray Raman scattering.