Resonant inelastic x‐ray scattering from highly correlated dysprosium compounds

Dy₂O₃ and Dy metal's resonant inelastic x‐ray scattering (RIXS) spectra were measured in the Beijing Synchrotron Radiation Facility. As a bulk sensitive probe and two‐photon process, RIXS provides more information on the electronic structure of matter. In this full RIXS experiment, the 2p⁶4fⁿ→ 2p⁵4fⁿ5d¹ (2p⁵4f^{n + 1}5d⁰) → 2p⁶3d⁹4fⁿ5d¹ (2p⁶3d⁹4f^{n + 1}5d⁰) channel of two samples (Dy₂O₃ and Dy metal) was studied. Further comparison shows that there are many differences in the RIXS spectra. Dy metal has only a single resonance and its 5d band is broader than that of Dy₂O₃. In the resonant regime, it has a lower final state energy, whereas in the non‐resonant regime it exceeds Dy₂O₃. This causes a broader bandwidth of the main final state B and a narrower bandwidth in the resonant and non‐resonant regime. The pre‐edge structure in Dy L₃ absorption spectra was also resolved using RIXS, which cannot be seen in conventional XAS owing to 2p core hole lifetime broadening. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.