Strongly driven resonant Auger effect treated by an open-quantum-system approach

We present theoretical studies of a two-step resonant Auger process at high x-ray intensity. Tuning a short x-ray pulse to the initially closed resonant channel of the 1s-2p transition in singly ionized neon, the initially neutral neon target is valence ionized. Subsequently, the strong resonant x-ray field transfers an inner-shell electron to the created outer valence vacancy, thereby creating a core-excited state. The strong resonant coupling, giving rise to Rabi oscillations involving a core transition, results in a modification of the resonant Auger-electron spectral line profile. If the valence photoelectron remains unobserved, the system of the residual ion undergoing the resonant Auger decay can be treated by an open quantum system approach. The resonant Auger-electron spectral line shape is shown to be determined by an analog of the reduced density matrix that depends on two time arguments. The equations of motion of this reduced density matrix are derived and numerical results are presented, in support of the recent experimental verification [E. Kanter et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 107, 233001 (2011)] of this nonlinear x-ray optical effect.