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  Glass-Maujean, M.; Jungen, Ch.; Reichardt, G.; Balzer, A.; Schmoranzer, H.; Ehresmann, A.; Haar, I.; Reiss, P.: Competing decay-channel fluorescence, dissociation, and ionization in superexcited levels of H₂. Physical Review A 82 (2010), p. 062511/1-13

10.1103/PhysRevA.82.062511

Abstract:
The absolute cross sections for the competing decay-channel fluorescence, dissociation, and ionization of photoexcited long-lived superexcited H2 molecular levels have been measured from the ionization threshold of H2 up to the H(1⁢𝑠) + H(𝑛=3) dissociation limit. The total and partial natural widths of these levels have been determined. Good agreement is found with first principles calculations carried out with the multichannel quantum defect theory for excited levels of 1⁢𝛱− 𝑢 symmetry, which represent 70% of the levels studied experimentally. The calculations reproduce the balance between the competing decay processes as well as its substantial evolution from level to level.