The excitation energy dependence of HO2 radical formation from the 248 nm irradiation of four different aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, toluene, o-xylene, and mesitylene) in the presence of O-2 has been studied. HO2 has been monitored at 6638.20 cm(-1) by cwCRDS, and the formation of a short-lived, unidentified species, showing broad-band absorption around the HO2 absorption line, has been observed. For all four hydrocarbons, the same HO, formation pattern has been observed: HO, is formed immediately on our time scale after the excitation pulse, followed by a formation of more HO, on a much longer time scale. Taking into account the absorption of the short-lived species, the yields of both types of HO, radicals are in agreement with a formation following 2-photon absorption by the aromatic hydrocarbons. The yields do not much depend on the nature of the aromatic hydrocarbon. For practical use in past and future experiments on aromatic hydrocarbons, an empirical value is given, allowing the estimation of the total concentration of HO, radicals formed at 40 Torr He in the presence of around [O-2] = 1 X 10(17)cm(-3) as a function of the 248 nm excitation energy: [HO2]/[aromatic hydrocarbon] approximate to 2 X 10(-6) X E-2 (with E in MJ cm(-2)).