Dynamics in liquids studied by inelastic x-ray scattering

Inelastic X-ray scattering with an energy resolution of the order of milli-electron volts is a relatively new tool to investigate collective excitations in condensed matter. A high energy resolution can be achieved by extreme backreflection (Bragg angle close to 90 degrees) from perfect crystals. This technique is used with the spectrometer INELAX for inelastic scattering experiments at DESY, Hamburg. Energy transfers from a few milli-electron volts up to 5 eV at any wavevector between 0.3 and 14 Angstrom -1 are accessible. One of the successful applications of this method is the investigation of the dynamical structure factor of liquids. Results on liquid lithium are presented and compared with neutron data and molecular dynamics