X-ray resonant inelastic scattering

X-ray absorption and the consequent emission processes are generally coherent and the overall process should be regarded as a resonant inelastic scattering event. However, the presence of many-particle interactions such as the electron-phonon interaction could affect this coherence. Phonons are present in both the core excited intermediate state and in the final states. Its effects are determined by the characteristic vibrational time and the core hole life time.