Ultraviolet Emission Spectra of High-Pressure Rare Gases

Abstract

The emissions arising from a short-arc discharge in high-pressure (10–20 atm) rare gases extend well into the vacuum-ultraviolet (vuv) region. Short-wavelength-emission cutoffs of 1600, 1310, and 1150 Å were found for xenon, krypton, and argon, respectively. High-pressure-neon emission extends to even shorter wavelengths. The construction of a high-intensity, high-pressure lamp utilizing a magnesium fluoride window is described. This lamp should be useful as a vuv source. In an unfocused mode, the flux from this lamp (measured at the exit slit of a monochromator with a 0.6-Å bandpass) was 3×109 photons/s using argon gas and 1000 W of power. Approximate ratios of flux emitted for neon, argon, and krypton are 1:5:10, respectively.