Abstract
We describe a method, called photolysis mapping, which can determine the orientation of the transition moment for gas‐phase photodissociations. This method measures the flux of fragments at the wall of a hemisphere when plane‐polarized light photodissociates a molecular gas. If the fragments recoil perpendicular to the transition moment, the angular dependence of the flux at the wall is different than if the fragments recoil parallel to the transition moment. Photolysis‐mapping experiments for bromine and iodine photolyzed with visible light indicate that the atoms recoil perpendicular to the transition moment.

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