We report on the use of an efficient stepwise-resonant two-photon excitation scheme to study high principal quantum number even-parity (2pnp) Rydberg states of atomic carbon. This scheme uses intense vacuum ultraviolet light to drive the resonance transition of the atoms, followed by excitation to Rydberg states with tunable ultraviolet light. Atomic carbon was produced under high vacuum condit...

Diffuse far-ultraviolet stellar emission scattered by dust grains has been observed in a region near the Orion Nebula. In addition to the scattered stellar continuum, emission and absorption features produced by molecular hydrogen have been identified. In this Letter, we present an analysis of this absorption and fluorescent emission from molecular hydrogen in Orion. We model the spectra obtain...