Xenon lamps

Xenon lamps are the most important discharge lamps, with a primarily continuous spectral energy distribution. It matches in the visible natural daylight very closely. The intense continuum of the xenon arc discharge is mainly generated by free electrons recombining to the densely packed excited energy levels of the xenon atom closely below the ionisation limit. Xenon lamp designs include aircooled short-arc, air and watercooled long-arc types for continuous operation as well as flashtubes and pulsed lamps, in a large variety of sizes, shapes and power ratings. Principal applications are for motion picture projection, amateur and professional photography, solar simulation for material testing, in the graphic arts industry, and for numerous technological and scientific purposes.