Resonance-enhanced multiphoton ionization photoelectron spectroscopy of even-parity autoionizing Rydberg states of atomic sulphur

Several previously unobserved Rydberg states of the sulphur atom above the lowest ionization threshold are identified and assigned using (2 + 1) resonance-enhanced multiphoton-ionization photoelectron spectroscopy. All states were accessed by two-photon transitions from either the 3P ground or the 1D excited state, prepared by in situ photodissociation of H2S. The observed states derive from the (2Do)5p and (2Po)4p configurations. For the (2Do)5p 3F and (2Po)4p 3D triplets, extensive photoelectron spectroscopic studies enable a detailed comparison of the autoionization and photoionization rates of these states.