Abstract. An electron spectrometric study has been performed on HF using metastable helium and neon atoms as well as helium and neon resonance photons. High-resolution electron spectra were obtained for a pure He(23S) beam, a mixed He(21S, 23S) beam, a mixed Ne(3s, 3P2, 3Po) beam, and for HeI and NeI VUV light. From the comparison of vibrational populations of HF + (X 2H~, v') and HF+(A 2S+, v') produced by He(23S) metastables and HeI resonance photons, we conclude that there is only a slight perturbation of the HF(X ~S +) potential in He (23S) Penning ionization; no perturbation is found for HF+(X 2/~., v') formation from Ne(3P2,0) metastable ionization of HF. For He (21S) + HF the X-and A-ionic state vibrational peak shapes are substantially broader than in the He(23S)+HF case pointing to an additional, charge exchanged interaction (He + + H F ) in the entrance channel of the former system. The vibrational population found for NeI~ photoionization of HF for formation of HF + (X 2~, v') is found to differ considerably from that for NeIp photoionization and from the Franck-Condon factors for unperturbed HF(X 1X+) and HF + (X 2Hi) potentials suggesting the presence of an autoionizing superexcited state of HF in the energy vicinity of the NeI~ resonance photons. The HF+(X) 2H3/2: 2H1/2 fine-structure branching ratios vary significantly with the ionizing agent in a similar way as previously found in HC1 and HBr.