Lifetimes of Vibro-Rotational Levels in Excited Electronic States of Diatomic Hydrogen Isotopologues

The current situation in studies of lifetimes of excited rovibronic levels for the H-2, D-2, T-2, HD, HT, and DT molecules is analyzed. All measured lifetime values (792 entries for 618 different vibro-rotational levels of 33 electronic states) reported in 61 publications before April 2015 are compiled and listed in tabular format together with an annotated bibliography. Experimental data are only available for the H-2, HD, and D-2 molecules. The data collected in the present work show fragmentariness of experimental data. For the vast majority of the levels, the lifetime values were reported in one paper only and up to now are without independent experimental verification. A complete bibliography of publications concerning semiempirical determination and nonempirical calculations of the lifetimes is presented. Numerical results obtained in the framework of these two approaches are listed only in cases when experimental data are available. For more than half of the levels, the differences between measured and calculated values are three times higher than experimental errors. These discrepancies show necessity of more precise experimental and nonempirical studies. For some 79 rovibronic levels, our analysis makes it possible to propose certain set of recommended lifetime values. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.