Experimentally-determined absorption coefficients for broadband ArF excimer radiation at 193 mm are presented at temperatures up to 3500 K for O2, NH3, and H2O. These values were determined in a high-purity shock tube, either by measuring excimer pulse fractional absorptions or by measuring photolysis-product yields. Correlations between absorption coefficients and vibrational populations of the absorbing species are discussed. Using these absorption coefficients, a prediction can be made of the amount of O, NH2, OH, and H produced in shock-tube excimer-photolysis experiments. This direct production of radicals is attractive for reaction-kinetics studies in high-temperature gases.