Techniques And Applications Of Xenon Flash

Discharge lamps filled with xenon gas through which electrical capacitors are discharged have found many applications for producing pulsed energy in photography and energy discharges. The object of this paper is to review sane of the more important characteristics of flash lamps. The flash duration of specific flash lamps when operated from a given capacitor charged to same known voltage is dis-cussed below. The dimensions of the lamp are one of the most impor-tant factors since the response of the lamp to the circuit is greatly influenced. Experimentally measured flash duration as a function of capacitance and voltage is given in graphical form for one type of flash lamp. Rules (approximate) are given for converting the data into data for other flash lamps and circuits. Efficiency of a xenon lamp can be as high as 5 candela/watt for a lamp that is loaded so that the arc fills the inner diameter of the constraining tube. The life of the xenon lamp can be many, many flashes. In fact, this is one of the lamp's strong points. The spectral distribution of the light from a xenon lamp closely approximates daylight with a small shift to the blue if the applied voltage is high. Details of a specific flash lamp showing the nature of the spectral output is given. A list of some of the oractical uses of electronic flash lamps is given and discussed.