First-principles description of pumped inelastic X-ray scattering: example of K-edge RIXS in graphite
We present an $\textit{ab initio}$ framework for predicting resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) in optically pumped materials. Our methodology is based on the Kramers-Heisenberg formula for the double-differential cross section formulated using the results of the Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE) from many-body perturbation theory. To extend this approach to the time domain, we incorporate non-equilibrium charge-carrier distributions obtained from real-time, time-dependent density-functional theory (RT-TDDFT). Generalizing the RIXS implementation with respect to arbitrary polarizations, allows us to consider different orientations of incoming and outgoing light. We demonstrate our method's capabilities by studying RIXS at the K-edge of graphite for various non-equilibrium charge-carrier distributions, representing different delay times after optical pumping. Our results reveal angular dependencies in $π$- and $σ$-orbital-derived spectral regions, in good agreement with experiment.