Fluorescence emission from photo-fragments after resonant S 2p excitations in H2S

Visible-UV fluorescence emission of gas-phase hydrogen sulfide, H2S, has been studied at the S 2p edge with synchrotron radiation excitation. Dispersed fluorescence measurements in the wavelength range 300 - 900 nm were taken at several photon energies corresponding to the excitations of the S 2p electrons to the unoccupied molecular and Rydberg orbitals. The spectra reveal fluorescence from the H, S, S+, HS and HS+ photo-fragments. H is found to be the strongest emitter at Rydberg excitations, while the emission from S+ is dominant at the molecular resonances and above the S 2p ionization thresholds. The intensities of hydrogen Lyman-alpha (122 nm), Balmer-alpha (656 nm), Balmer-beta (486 nm) transitions as well as the visible-UV total fluorescence yield (300 - 900 nm) and the total ion yield were measured by scanning the photon energy in small steps across the S 2p edge. The different Balmer lines show some sensitivity to the specific core excitations, which is, however, not so strong as that recently observed in the water molecule.