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

S.-X. Wang1,2, Z.-Q. Zhao1, X.-Y. Wang1, T.-J. Li1, Y. Su1, Y. Uemura3, F. Alves Lima3, A. Khadiev4, B.-H. Wang4 et al.

J. M. Ablett5, J-P. Rueff5,6, H.-C. Wang7, O. J. L. Fox7, W.-B. Li8, L.-F. Zhu1, and X.-C. Huang3,*

  • *Contact author: xinchao.huang@xfel.eu
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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 063601 – Published 11 February, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/z6xz-p7cm

Abstract

X-ray cavity quantum optics with inner-shell transitions has been limited by the spectral overlap between resonant and continuum states. Here, we report the first experimental demonstration of cavity-controlled core-to-core resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS). We suppress the absorption-edge effects 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 rates in the 2p3d RIXS spectra of WSi2. These effects, manifesting as stretched or shifted profiles in the RIXS planes, enable novel spectroscopic applications via cavity-controlled core-hole states. Our results establish core-to-core RIXS as a powerful tool to manipulate inner-shell dynamics in x-ray cavities, offering new avenues for integrating quantum optical effects with x-ray spectroscopy.

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Phys. Rev. Lett. 136, 063601– Published 11 February, 2026
  • Received 19 June 2025
  • Revised 13 October 2025
  • Accepted 9 January 2026
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