%0 Journal Article
%A Beye, M.
%A Schreck, S.
%A Sorgenfrei, F.
%A Trabant, C.
%A Pontius, N.
%A Schüßler-Langeheine, C.
%A Wurth, W.
%A Föhlisch, A.
%T Stimulated X-ray emission for materials science
%J Nature
%V 501
%N 7466
%@ 1476-4687
%C London
%I Macmillan28177
%M DESY-2014-02110
%P 191 - 194
%D 2013
%Z © Macmillan Publishers Limited.
%X Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering and X-ray emission spectroscopy can be used to probe the energy and dispersion of the elementary low-energy excitations that govern functionality in matter: vibronic, charge, spin and orbital excitations. A key drawback of resonant inelastic X-ray scattering has been the need for high photon densities to compensate for fluorescence yields of less than a per cent for soft X-rays8. Sample damage from the dominant non-radiative decays thus limits the materials to which such techniques can be applied and the spectral resolution that can be obtained. A means of improving the yield is therefore highly desirable. Here we demonstrate stimulated X-ray emission for crystalline silicon at photon densities that are easily achievable with free-electron lasers. The stimulated radiative decay of core excited species at the expense of non-radiative processes reduces sample damage and permits narrow-bandwidth detection in the directed beam of stimulated radiation. We deduce how stimulated X-ray emission can be enhanced by several orders of magnitude to provide, with high yield and reduced sample damage, a superior probe for low-energy excitations and their dispersion in matter. This is the first step to bringing nonlinear X-ray physics in the condensed phase from theory to application.
%F PUB:(DE-HGF)16
%9 Journal Article
%U <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000324244900034
%$ pmid:23965622
%R 10.1038/nature12449
%U https://bib-pubdb1.desy.de/record/167779