Theory of high-energy correlated multiphoton x-ray diffraction for synchrotron radiation sources

Abstract

We present a theoretical formulation for the multiphoton diffraction phenomenology in the nonrelativistic limit, suitable for interpreting high-energy x-ray diffraction measurements using synchrotron radiation sources. A hierarchy of approximations and the systematic analysis of limiting cases are presented. A convolutional representation of the diffraction signal allows classification of the physical resources contributing to the correlation signatures. The formulation is intended for developing a theoretical description capable of describing plausible absence or presence of correlation signatures in elastic and inelastic diffractive scattering. Interpreting these correlation signatures in terms of the incoming field modulated many-body electronic density correlations provides a novel perspective for structural imaging studies. More essentially, it offers a framework necessary for theoretical developments of associated reconstruction algorithms.