Cavity Controls Core-to-Core Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering

Abstract

X-ray cavity quantum optics with inner-shell transitions has been hindered by the overlap between resonant and continuum states. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of cavity-controlled co-to-core resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS). We eliminate the effects of the absorption edge by monitoring the RIXS profile, thereby resolving the resonant state from the overlapping continuum. We observe distinct cavity-induced energy shifts and cavity-enhanced decay rate in the $2p3d$ RIXS spectra of WSi$_{2}$. These effects, manifesting as stretched or shifted profiles in the RIXS planes, enable novel spectroscopic applications by cavity-controlled core-hole states. Our results establish core-to-core RIXS as a powerful tool for manipulating inner-shell dynamics in x-ray cavities, offering new avenues for integrating quanutm optical effects with x-ray spectroscopy.