Production of excited atomic hydrogen and deuterium from H2 and D2photodissociation

We have measured the production of both Ly alpha and H alphafluorescence from atomic H and D for the photodissociation of H2 and D2by linearly polarized photons with energies between 24 and 60 eV. In thisenergy range, excited photofragments result primarily from the productionof doubly excited molecular species which promptly autoionize ordissociate into two neutrals. Our data are compared with ab initiocalculations of the dissociation process, in which both doubly excitedstate production and prompt ionization (nonresonant) channels areconsidered. Agreement between our experimental data and that of earlierwork, and with our theoretical calculations, is qualitative atbest.