Electron impact study of H₂ and D₂ continuum radiation

We report our recent experimental study regarding H₂ and D₂ continuum radiation (a³Σ_g ⁺ → b³Σ_u ⁺) in the spectral range of 200 – 650 nm, excited by electron impact at near-threshold impact energies. In contrast to earlier studies, present results indicate that H₂ and D₂ continuum radiation is detectable in the spectral range above 500 nm. To supplement this, we present excitation-emission photon efficiency curves (PEC) of D₂ measured at 650 nm, with precautions taken to rule out other possible signal sources.