Xenon lamps emit a broad spectrum from uv to ir 185 2000 nm similar to sunlight.
Xenon arc lamp emission spectrum.
The typical usage of xenon flashlamps is as the pump source for laser systems.
However for xenon there are enough spectral lines and they are distributed across the spectrum in such a way that to the human eye the light appears mostly white.
A xenon arc lamp is a highly specialized type of gas discharge lamp an electric light that produces light by passing electricity through ionized xenon gas at high pressure.
Their sun like emission spectrum and 5800 k color temperature make them a popular choice for solar simulation as well as absorption and fluorescence and source spectral scanning applications.
As with all ionized gases xenon flash lamps emit light in various spectral lines.
Xenon xe arc lamps have a relatively smooth emission curve in the uv to visible spectrums with characteristic wavelengths emitted from 750 1000 nm.
For example hamamatsu s 75 w and 150 w xenon lamps l10725 and l11033 series have a guaranteed life of 2000 and 3000 hours respectively.
This is the same phenomenon that gives neon signs their characteristic color.
A deuterium lamp uses a tungsten filament and anode placed on opposite sides of a nickel box structure designed to produce the best output spectrum.
However the emission spectrum extends more into the ultraviolet spectral region.
The output spectrum of xenon closely matches the absorption wavelengths of nd yag and many other lasing materials.
Unlike an incandescent bulb the filament is not the source of light in deuterium lamps.
It produces a bright white light that closely mimics natural sunlight with applications in movie projectors in theaters in searchlights and for specialized uses in industry and research to simulate sunlight often for.
Instead an arc is created from the filament to the anode a similar process to arc lamps because the filament must be very hot before it can operate it is.
It does generate strong emission lines in the infrared from 800 nm 1000 nm but these can be eliminated using optical filters.
They have high output intensity high stability and long life.
An additional advantage that the xenon arc lamp has is that when there are variations in power this does not result in any significant shift.
They have similar electrodes and work at similar power levels e g.
Xenon arc lamps have a spectrum almost identical to that of a sun at 5800 k.
These lamps emit by arc discharge.
However the broadband spectrum provides useable wavelengths from 160nm 1000nm making the xenon flashlamp a versatile light source for other.
The substantial contribution by the electrodes is due to their large surface areas and high temperatures.
This includes arc lamps in the original sense which have various aspects in common with xenon arc lamps.
