Site-specific generation of excited state wavepackets with high-intensity attosecond x rays

High-intensity attosecond x rays can produce coherent superpositions of valence-excited states through two-photon Raman transitions. The broad-bandwidth, high-field nature of the pulses results in a multitude of accessible excited states. Multiconfigurational quantum chemistry with the time-dependent Schrödinger equation is used to examine population transfer dynamics in stimulated x-ray Raman scattering of the nitric oxide oxygen and nitrogen K-edges. Two pulse schemes initiate wavepackets of different characters and demonstrate how chemical differences between core-excitation pathways affect the dynamics. The population transfer to valence-excited states is found to be sensitive to the electronic structure and pulse conditions, highlighting complexities attributed to the Rabi frequency. The orthogonally polarized two-color-pulse setup has increased selectivity while facilitating longer, less intense pulses than the one-pulse setup. Population transfer in the 1s → Rydberg region is more effective but less selective at the nitrogen K-edge; the selectivity is reduced by double core-excited states. Result interpretation is aided by resonant inelastic x-ray scattering maps.