Light spectrum across a wider range of wavelengths.Īrtwork: How three different types of arc lamp produce three different colors of light (patterns of wavelengths). In mercury-xenon lamps, xenon and mercury work together to produce a more even In a neon lamp, the light produced is red in a mercury lamp, it's a colder and bluer light in a xenon lamp, it's a much whiter light not that different from natural daylight (sunlight). The color of the light depends on the atomic structure of the gas that's used (we explain this in more detail in our article on neon lamps). Temperatures of over 3000☌ or 5400☏ are typical, which is why the electrodes are generally made of tungsten, the metal with the highest melting point (approximately 3400☌ or 6200☏).
More light is produced by the electrodes themselves, which become incredibly hot and burn brightly in the process. This is an example of an electric discharge, which is why lamps light this are also calledĭischarge lamps. That effectively leaps the gap between the electrodes-just like a lightning bolt. Giving off energy as a flash of light called an arc The charged ions crash into neutral atoms, and into the electrodes, Opposite directions along the tube, with electrons rushing to the positive electrode and ions going the other way,įorming an electric current. The broken bits of atoms (positively charged ions and negatively charged electrons) then hurtle in This is called ionization (or ionizing the gas). Where does the light come from? When the power supply is turned on, the gasĪtoms suddenly find themselves under incredible, electrical forceĪnd split into smaller parts. Metal contacts called electrodes, connected to a high-voltage power supply. An arc lamp is a bit like a small bolt of lightning happening under very controlledįilled with a gas under either very low or very high pressure Like neon lamps, xenon lamps are examples ofĪrc lamps. Photo: Attaching a xenon flash lamp to a float marker. Fluorescent lamps are very different: they zap electricity through a gas to make invisible ultraviolet light, which gets converted into light we can see (visible light) when it passes through the white inner coating of the lamp's glass tube, making it glow brightly (or fluoresce).
Incandescent lamps (our traditional household lights) make light by passing electricity through a thin metal filament (wire), so it gets really hot and burns brightly. What are the different kinds of xenon lamps?Īll lamps make light, but they don't all work the same way.
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