Multiplet resonance lifetimes in resonant inelastic x-ray scattering involving shallow core levels

Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) spectra of model copper- and nickel-based transition metal oxides are measured over a wide range of energies near the M edge (h nu = 60-80 eV) to better understand the properties of resonant scattering involving shallow core levels. Standard multiplet RIXS calculations are found to deviate significantly from the observed spectra. However, by incorporating the self-consistently calculated decay lifetime for each intermediate resonance state within a given resonance edge, we obtain dramatically improved agreement between data and theory. Our results suggest that these textured lifetime corrections can enable a quantitative correspondence between first-principles predictions and RIXS data on model multiplet systems. This accurate model is also used to analyze resonant elastic scattering, which displays the elastic Fano effect and provides a rough upper bound for the core hole shakeup response time.