This paper reviews our progress on the desorption induced by electronic transitions ( DIET) in rare gas solids by selective excitation of valence excitons. Observation of metastable atoms desorbed by excitonic excitation gives us direct information on the exciton-induced desorption processes in rare gas solids. The validity of three desorption mechanisms, cavity ejection, excimer dissociation, and internal sputtering, is demonstrated by systematic measurements of kinetic energies and angular distributions of desorbed particles. The absolute yield of total and partial desorption was measured, which can lead us to the quantitative understanding of exciton-induced desorption processes.