Resonant x-ray Raman scattering in a laser field -: art. no. 022503

A theory for laser-assisted resonant x-ray Raman scattering (RXS) is presented. The conditions for nonlinearity due to strong x-ray fields but without a laser field are first investigated, followed by studies of the consqeunces for the RXS cross section of having a weak x-ray field but strong laser fields resonant with different levels involved in the x-ray scattering. These levels are either connected with excitations of the ground state, with excitations between core excited states, or between unoccupied final states. When the final states are discrete, the RXS line is split by the applied laser field; when they are continuous the laser field induces autoionizationlike resonances in the RXS spectrum.