Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering of methyl chloride at the chlorine K edge

We present a combined experimental and theoretical study of isolated CH3Cl molecules using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS). The high-resolution spectra allow extraction of information about nuclear dynamics in the core-excited molecule. Polarization-resolved RIXS spectra exhibit linear dichroism in the spin-orbit intensities, a result interpreted as due to chemical environment and singlet-triplet exchange in the molecular core levels. From analysis of the polarization-resolved data, Cl 2p(x),(y) and 2p(z) electronic populations can be determined. (C) 2012 American Institute of Physics. [doi:10.1063/1.3675685]