Abstract

The unoccupied states of complex materials are difficult to measure, yet they play a key role in determining their properties. We propose a technique that can measure the unoccupied states, called time-resolved Compton scattering, which measures the time-dependent momentum distribution (TDMD). Using a nonequilibrium Keldysh formalism, we study the TDMD for electrons coupled to a lattice in a pump-probe setup. We find a direct relation between temporal oscillations in the TDMD and the dispersion of the underlying unoccupied states, suggesting that both can be measured by time-resolved Compton scattering. We demonstrate the experimental feasibility by applying the method to a model of MgB2 with realistic material parameters.