Lyman and Balmer emission following core excitations in methane and ammonia molecules

The intensities of hydrogen Lyman-alpha and Balmer series emission lines as a result of photoexcitation of free CH4 and NH3 molecules at the C 1s and N 1s edges have been measured. For methane, the total fluorescence yield in the visible region ( 300 - 650 nm) was also recorded. Excitation functions of the Balmer lines show relative intensity enhancement of Balmer-beta emission in comparison with Balmer-alpha at higher core- to- Rydberg excitations. The Lyman-alpha emission intensity, in general, follows the relations observed in the corresponding total ion yield measurements. Additionally, the Balmer-gamma and -delta yields were measured for ammonia molecules and they show intensity maxima at photon energies shifted closer to the N 1s threshold than Balmer-alpha and -beta. A quantum defect analysis is performed to find out which core excitations are responsible for this enhanced intensity. Dissociation pathways leading to the emission in H atoms are discussed.