Vacuum ultraviolet pulsed-field ionization-photoelectron (PFI-PE) spectra of H2S have been recorded at PFI-PE resolutions of 0.6-1.0 meV in the energy range of 10-17 eV using high-resolution synchrotron radiation. The PFI-PE spectrum, which covers the formation of the valence electronic states H2S+ ((X) over tilde B-2(1), (A) over tilde (2)A(1), and (B) over tilde B-2(2)), is compared to the recent high-resolution He I photoelectron spectra of H2S obtained by Baltzer [Chem. Phys. 195, 403 (1995)]. In addition to the overwhelmingly dominated origin vibrational band, the PFI-PE spectrum for H2S+((X) over tilde B-2(1)) is found to exhibit weak vibrational progressions due to excitation of the combination bands in the nu(1)(+) symmetric stretching and nu(2)(+) bending modes. While the ionization energy (IE) for H2S+((X) over tilde B-2(1)) obtained here is in accord with values determined in previously laser PFI-PE measurements, the observation of a new PFI-PE band at 12.642+/-0.001 eV suggests that the IE for H2S+((A) over tilde (2)A(1)) may be 0.12 eV lower than that reported in the He I study. The simulation of rotational structures resolved in PFI-PE bands shows that the formation of H2S+((X) over tilde B-2(1)) and H2S+((A) over tilde (2)A(1)) from photoionization of H2S(X (1)A(1)) is dominated by type-C and type-B transitions, respectively. This observation is consistent with predictions of the multichannel quantum defect theory. The small changes in rotational angular momentum observed are consistent with the dominant atomiclike character of the 2b(1) and 5a(1) molecular orbitals of H2S. The PFI-PE measurement has revealed perturbations of the (0, 6, 0) K+=3 and (0, 6, 0) K+=4 bands of H2S+((A) over tilde (2)A(1)). Interpreting that these perturbations arise from Renner-Teller interactions at energies close to the common barriers to linearity of the H2S+ ((X) over tilde B-2(1) and (A) over tilde (2)A(1)) states, we have deduced a barrier of 23209 cm(-1) for H2S+((X) over tilde B-2(1)) and 5668 cm(-1) for H2S+((A) over tilde (2)A(1)). The barrier of 23209 cm(-1) for H2S+((X) over tilde B-2(1)) is found to be in excellent agreement with the results of previous studies. The vibrational PFI-PE bands for H2S+((B) over tilde B-2(2)) are broad, indicative of the predissociative nature of this state. (C) 2004 American Institute of Physics.