New Applications of Inelastic X-ray Scattering in AMO and CM Physics

Jerry Seidler
UW Physics

The advent of the third generation x-ray sources together with the development of high-throughput inelastic x-ray scattering spectrometers has led to a rapid increase in studies of nonresonant inelastic x-ray scattering (NRIXS). NRIXS provides a bulk-sensitive, hard x-ray alternative to and extension of UV and soft x-ray absorption spectroscopies. This technique has seen an explosive growth in applications in the last 4 years, with the UW's LERIX spectrometer playing a major role since commissioning in 2006. After providing background on theory and instrumentation, I'll discuss several recent and unexpected applications of this technique. In AMO, our new study of low-energy dipole-forbidden resonances in nitrogen gas may help to calibrate satellite-based measurements used to determine energy balance in the upper atmosphere. In CM physics, our ongoing work on charge transfer in Li-ion batteries and on the local electronic structure of actinide compounds used in present- and next-generation nuclear fuel may help to resolve important, long-standing questions in those fields.