A method alternative to the density matrix formalism is applied to derive a general expression for the radiative decay probability following the photoionization of polarized atoms in two-step approximation. The graphical technique of the angular momentum theory is used for the integration over angular and spin variables. The general expression joining both steps of photoionization and fluorescence contains the possibility to investigate the polarization of all particles in the initial and final states and the angular distributions as well as angular correlations of photoelectrons and radiation. A simple way to get the expressions for special cases of the angular distribution and polarization of fluorescence radiation in the photoionization of randomly orientated and polarized atoms is given as an example of the practical application of the general formula.
We measure photoion spectra and angular distributions of photoelectrons from the two-color, two-photon resonant ionization of barium atoms in order to probe the effect of the photoionization pathway on autoionization processes. The (6s6p
)1P${\mathrm{\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}}_{1}$ and the (5d6p
)1P${\mathrm{\ifmmode^\circ\else\textdegree\fi{}}}_{1}$ states are used as intermediates in the photoexcitation of barium to energies in the range of a series of 5dnd autoionizing states. Dramatic differences in the profiles of autoionizing lines are observed for excitation pathways involving different intermediate states. Angular distributions of photoelectrons collected across the range of autoionizing resonances demonstrate strong variations that follow constraints imposed by the angular momentum of the autoionizing peaks and also suggest significant spin-orbit interactions in the photoionization step.