Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the F 1s photoabsorption edge in LiF : Interplay of excitonic and conduction states, and Stokes' doubling

The excitation-decay processes at the F 1s photoabsorption edge in LiF crystal are studied using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectroscopy. The Raman-type linear dispersion and the narrowing of the x-ray fluorescence peak are observed at resonant excitation. A theoretical model based on the Kramers-Heisenberg formula describes well the main features in fluorescence spectra and allows one to separate the contributions of the exciton and the conduction states in the scattering spectra. At the same time, the role of the shape of the spectral distribution within the incident radiation is emphasized as being critically sensitive to the number, kind, and onset of the spectral features which finally appear in the scattering spectra at a particular incident photon energy, particularly in the subthreshold excitation region.