A Lyman-Werner photon is an ultraviolet photon with a photon energy in the range of 11.2 to 13.6 eV, corresponding to the energy range in which the Lyman and Werner absorption bands of molecular hydrogen (H 2) are found. A photon in this energy range, with a frequency that coincides with that of one of the lines in the Lyman or Werner bands, can be absorbed by H 2, placing the molecule in an excited electronic state. Radiative decay (that is, decay into photons) from this excited state occurs rapidly, with roughly 15% of these decays occurring into the vibrational continuum of the molecule, resulting in its dissociation. This two-step photodissociation process, known as the Solomon process, is one of the main mechanisms by which molecular hydrogen is destroyed in the interstellar medium.