A theory of the angular distribution of photoelectrons ejected with a given energy from diatomic molecules is presented. The differential cross-section OO is of the form a = ^ [l+ /JP ,(co»® )] where O Total is the total cross-section, B an anisotropy parameter and O the angle between the polarization vector of the incident light and the direction of the photoelectron. Expressions for O total and B in terms of internal transition dipole moments are obtained for transitions between individual rotational states of the molecule and ion, for either of Hund’s cases
(a)
or
(b)
. The formulae have been developed for central-field bases for the eigenstates of the electron before and after ionization. When rotational structure in the photoelectron spectrum is unresolved the angular distribution is independent of the choice of Hund’s case
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.