  Excitons in a complex organic molecular crystal were studied by inelastic
x-ray scattering (IXS) for the first time. The dynamic dielectric response
function is measured over a large momentum transfer region, from which an
exciton dispersion of 130 meV is observed. Semiempirical quantum chemical
calculations reproduce well the momentum dependence of the measured dynamic
dielectric responses, and thus unambiguously indicate that the lowest Frenkel
exciton is confined within a fraction of the complex molecule. Our results
demonstrate that IXS is a powerful tool for studying excitons in complex
organic molecular systems. Besides the energy position, the IXS spectra provide
a stringent test on the validity of the theoretically calculated exciton wave
functions.
