Fluorescence yield from photodissociation of CH4 at 1060-1420 A

The photoabsorption and fluorescence cross sections of CH4 were measured using synchrotron radiation at 1060-1420 A. The fluorescence starts to appear at 1330 A, and its cross section increases with decreasing photon wavelengths. The fluorescence cross section at 1060 A is 0.38 x 10 to the -18th sq cm, which is much smaller than the theoretical expectation. It is unlikely that the CH2 production from CH4 photodissociation will have a population inversion in the singlet system. A vibrational structure observed at 1060-1120 A is probably the 1t2-3p Rydberg transition of CH4.