Resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS) can probe localized excitations at selected atoms in materials, including particle-hole transitions between the valence and conduction bands. These transitions are governed by fundamental properties of the corresponding Bloch wave functions, including orbital and magnetic degrees of freedom, and quantum geometric properties such as the Berry curvature. In particular, orbital angular momentum (OAM), which is closely linked to the Berry curvature, can exhibit a nontrivial momentum dependence. We demonstrate how information on such OAM textures can be extracted from the circular dichroism in RIXS. Based on accurate modeling with a first-principles treatment of the key ingredient—the light–matter interaction—we simulate dichroic RIXS spectra for the prototypical transition-metal dichalcogenide MoSe₂ and the two-dimensional topological insulator 1T\({}^{{\prime}}\)-MoS₂. Guided by an intuitive picture of the optical selection rules, we discuss how the momentum-dependent OAM manifests itself in the dichroic RIXS signal if one controls the momentum transfer. Our calculations are performed for typical experimental geometries and parameter regimes, and demonstrate the possibility of observing the predicted circular dichroism in forthcoming experiments. Thus, our work establishes a new avenue for observing Berry curvature and topological states in quantum materials.

共振非弹性 X 射线散射 (RIXS) 可以探测材料中选定原子的局部激发，包括价带和导带之间的粒子空穴跃迁。这些跃迁受相应布洛赫波函数的基本属性控制，包括轨道和磁自由度，以及贝里曲率等量子几何属性。特别是，与贝里曲率密切相关的轨道角动量（OAM）可以表现出不平凡的动量依赖性。我们演示了如何从 RIXS 的圆二色性中提取有关此类 OAM 纹理的信息。基于对关键成分（光与物质相互作用）的第一性原理处理的精确建模，我们模拟了原型过渡金属二硫属化物 MoSe ₂和二维拓扑绝缘体 1T \({}^{{ \prime}}\) -MoS ₂ 。在光学选择规则直观图的指导下，我们讨论了如果控制动量传递，动量相关的 OAM 如何在二向色 RIXS 信号中表现出来。我们的计算是针对典型的实验几何形状和参数范围进行的，并证明了在即将进行的实验中观察预测的圆二色性的可能性。因此，我们的工作为观察量子材料中的贝里曲率和拓扑态建立了一条新途径。