Correlation function metrology for warm dense matter: Recent developments and practical guidelines
Maximilian Peter Böhme, Willow Martin, Hannah Bellenbaum, Magaret Berrens, Jan Vorberger, Sebastian Schwalbe, Zhandos Moldabekov, Thomas Gawne, Sebastien Hamel, Brianna Aguilar-Solis, Abhiraj Sharma, Frank Graziani, Tilo Döppner, Siegfried Glenzer, Tobias Dornheim, David Bishel
Published: 2025/10/1
Abstract
X-ray Thomson scattering (XRTS) has emerged as a valuable diagnostic for matter under extreme conditions, as it captures the intricate many-body physics of the probed sample. Recent advances, such as the model-free temperature diagnostic of Dornheim et al. [Nat.Commun. 13, 7911 (2022)], have demonstrated how much information can be extracted directly within the imaginary-time formalism. However, since the imaginary-time formalism is a concept often difficult to grasp, we provide here a systematic overview of its theoretical foundations and explicitly demonstrate its practical applications to temperature inference, including relevant subtleties. Furthermore, we present recent developments that enable the determination of the absolute normalization, Rayleigh weight, and density from XRTS measurements without reliance on uncontrolled model assumptions. Finally, we outline a unified workflow that guides the extraction of these key observables, offering a practical framework for applying the method to interpret experimental measurements.