15 kW Xenon short-arc lamp.

An arc lamp is the general term for a class of lamps that produce light by an electric arc (or voltaic arc). The lamp consists of two electrodes typically made of tungsten which are separated by a gas. The type of lamp is often named by the gas contained in the bulb; including neon, argon, xenon, krypton, sodium, metal halide, and mercury. The common fluorescent lamp is actually a low-pressure mercury arc lamp where the inside of the bulb is coated with a light-emitting phosphor. High-intensity discharge lamps operate at a higher current than the fluorescent lamp, and come in many varieties depending on the fill material. Lightning could be thought of as a type of natural arc lamp, or at least a flash lamp. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 341 KB) Close-up of a 15KW Xenon short-arc lamp I attest that I am the copyright holder for this image and I release it for use under the Creative Commons 2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1600x1200, 341 KB) Close-up of a 15KW Xenon short-arc lamp I attest that I am the copyright holder for this image and I release it for use under the Creative Commons 2. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this section may require cleanup. ... Electricity arcs between the power rail and electrical pickup shoe on a London Underground train An electric arc is an electrical breakdown of a gas which produces an ongoing plasma discharge, similar to the instant spark, resulting from a current flowing through normally nonconductive media such as air. ... A spark plug. ... An electrode is an electrical conductor used to make contact with a metallic part of a circuit (e. ... General Name, Symbol, Number tungsten, W, 74 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 6, 6, d Appearance grayish white, lustrous Standard atomic weight 183. ... General Name, Symbol, Number neon, Ne, 10 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 2, p Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 20. ... General Name, Symbol, Number argon, Ar, 18 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 3, p Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 39. ... General Name, Symbol, Number xenon, Xe, 54 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 5, p Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 131. ... General Name, Symbol, Number krypton, Kr, 36 Chemical series noble gases Group, Period, Block 18, 4, p Appearance colorless Standard atomic weight 83. ... General Name, Symbol, Number sodium, Na, 11 Chemical series alkali metals Group, Period, Block 1, 3, s Appearance silvery white Standard atomic weight 22. ... Metal halide lamps are similar to mercury vapor lamps, but instead of just mercury, they also contain all metals in the halide group of the periodic table (Hence the name). ... General Name, Symbol, Number mercury, Hg, 80 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 12, 6, d Appearance silvery Standard atomic weight 200. ... Fluorescence induced by exposure to ultraviolet light in vials containing various sized Cadmium selenide (CdSe) quantum dots. ... 15 kW Xenon short-arc lamp used in IMAX projectors High-intensity discharge (HID) lamps include these types of electrical lamps: mercury vapor, metal halide (also HQI), high-pressure sodium, low-pressure sodium and less common, xenon short-arc lamps. ... This article needs additional references or sources for verification. ... U-shaped Xenon Flash Lamp A xenon flash lamp is a gas discharge lamp designed to produce extremely intense, incoherent, full-spectrum white light for very short durations. ...

The electric arc in an arc lamp consists of gas which is initially ionized by a voltage and is therefore electrically conductive. To start an arc lamp, usually a very high voltage is needed to "ignite" or "strike" the arc. This requires an electrical circuit sometimes called an "igniter", which is part of a larger circuit called the "ballast". The ballast supplies a suitable voltage and current to the lamp as its electrical characteristics change with temperature and time. The ballast is typically designed to maintain safe operating conditions and constant light output over the life of the lamp. The temperature of the arc can reach several thousand degrees Celsius. An electrostatic potential map of the nitrate ion (NO3−). Areas coloured red are lower in energy than areas colored yellow robert ford An ion is an atom or group of atoms which have lost or gained one or more electrons, making them negatively or positively charged. ... Celsius is, or relates to, the Celsius temperature scale (previously known as the centigrade scale). ...

Carbon arc lamp

In popular use, the term arc lamp means carbon arc lamp only.

Preserved carbon arc lamp at Souter Lighthouse, north-east England.

In a carbon arc lamp, the electrodes are carbon rods in free air. To ignite the lamp, the rods are touched together, thus allowing a relatively low voltage to strike the arc. The rods are then slowly drawn apart, and electric current heats and maintains an arc across the gap. The tips of the carbon rods are heated to incandescence, creating light. The rods are slowly vaporized during the process and need to be regularly adjusted to maintain the arc. Many ingenious mechanisms were invented to effect this automatically, but they were all based on solenoids. In the simplest form (which in fact was soon superseded by more smoothly acting devices) the electrodes are mounted vertically. The current supplying the arc is passed in series through a solenoid attached to the top electrode. If the points of the electrodes are touching (as in start up) the resistance falls, the current increases and the increased pull from the solenoid draws the points apart. If the arc starts to fail the current drops and the points close up again. Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Souter Lighthouse is a lighthouse located in the village of Marsden in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England. ... In engineering, a solenoid is a mechanical device that converts energy into linear motion. ... Left: Series  / Right: Parallel Arrows indicate direction of current flow. ...

History

Self-regulating arc lamp proposed by William Edwards Staite and William Petrie in 1847

An electric arc, demonstrating the “arch” effect.

The concept was first demonstrated by Sir Humphry Davy in the early 19th century (1802, 1805, 1807 and 1809 are all mentioned), using charcoal sticks and a 2000-cell battery to create an arc across a 4-inch gap. He mounted his electrodes horizontally and noted that, because of the strong convection flow of air, the arc formed the shape of an arch. He coined the term "arch lamp", which was contracted to "arc lamp" when the devices came into common usage. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 294 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (790 × 1612 pixel, file size: 47 KB, MIME type: image/png) Self-regulating arc lamp proposed by William Edwards Staite and William Petrie in 1847. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 294 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (790 × 1612 pixel, file size: 47 KB, MIME type: image/png) Self-regulating arc lamp proposed by William Edwards Staite and William Petrie in 1847. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File linksMetadata No higher resolution available. ... Sir Humphry Davy, 1st Baronet, FRS (17 December 1778 – 29 May 1829) was an esteemed British chemist and physicist. ... Four double-A (AA) rechargeable batteries In science and technology, a battery is a device that stores energy and makes it available in an electrical form. ... A Pair of AA Eveready Alkaline Cells Symbols representing a single Cell (top) and Battery (bottom), used in circuit diagrams. ...

There were attempts to produce the lamps commercially after 1850 but the lack of a constant electricity supply thwarted efforts. Thus electrical engineers began focusing on the problem of improving Faraday's dynamo. The concept was improved upon by a number of people including William Staite and Charles F. Brush. It was not until the 1870s that lamps such as the Yablochkov candle were more commonly seen. In 1877, the Franklin Institute conducted a comparative test of dynamo systems. The one developed by Brush performed best, and Brush immediately applied his improved dynamo to arc-lighting. In 1880, he established the Brush Electric Company. Michael Faraday, FRS (September 22, 1791 – August 25, 1867) was an English chemist and physicist (or natural philosopher, in the terminology of that time) who contributed significantly to the fields of electromagnetism and electrochemistry. ... “Dynamo” redirects here. ... Charles Francis Brush (March 17, 1849 - June 15, 1929); a U.S. inventor, entrepreneur and philanthropist. ... A Yablochkov candle (sometimes electric candle) is a type of electric carbon arc lamp, invented in 1876 by Pavel Yablochkov. ... Franklin Institute Front steps as seen from the adjacent Moore College This article is about the science museum in Philadelphia. ... Brush Electrical Machines works in Loughborough, United Kingdom. ...

The harsh and brilliant light was found most suitable for public areas, being around 200 times more powerful than contemporary filament lamps. There were three major advances in the 1880s: An incandescent lamp bulb and its glowing filament. ...

• The arcs were enclosed in a small tube to slow the carbon consumption (increasing the life span to around 100 hours).
• Flame arc lamps were introduced where the carbon rods had metal salts (usually magnesium, strontium, barium, or calcium fluorides) added to increase light output and produce different colours.
• František Křižík invented a mechanism to allow the automatic adjustment of the electrodes.

In the US, patent protection of arc-lighting systems and improved dynamos proved difficult and as a result the arc-lighting industry became highly competitive. Brush's principal competition was from the team of Elihu Thomson and Edwin J. Houston. These two had formed the American Electric Company in 1880, but it was soon bought up by Charles A. Coffin, moved to Lynn, Massachusetts, and renamed the Thomson-Houston Electric Company. Thomson remained, though, the principal inventive genius behind the company patenting improvements to the lighting system. Under the leadership of Thomson-Houston's patent attorney, Frederick P. Fish, the company protected its new patent rights. Coffin's management also led the company towards an aggressive policy of buy-outs and mergers with competing manufacturers. Both strategies reduced competition in the electrical lighting manufacturing industry. By 1890, the Thomson-Houston company was the dominant electrical manufacturing company in the US (Noble, 6-10). Nikola Tesla received U.S. Patent 447920, "Method of Operating Arc-Lamps" (March 10, 1891), that describes an 10,000 cycles per second alternator to suppress the disagreeable sound of power-frequency harmonics produced by arc lamps operating on frequencies within the range of human hearing. FrantiÅ¡ek KÅ™ižík, approx 1902, portrait by Å echtl and Voseček studios FrantiÅ¡ek KÅ™ižík (July 8, 1847, Plánice near Klatovy – January 22, 1941, Stádlec near Tábor) was a Czech inventor, electrical engineer and entrepreneur. ... Elihu Thomson (March 29, 1853 - March 13, 1937) was an engineer who was instrumental in the founding of major electrical companies in the United States, Britain and France. ... Edwin J. Houston (1847–1914) was an American electrical inventor. ... Charles A. Coffin (1844-1926) was the first President of General Electric corporation. ... Location in Massachusetts Coordinates: Country United States State Massachusetts County Essex County Settled 1629 Incorporated 1850 Government  - Type Mayor-council city  - Mayor Chip Clancy Area  - City  13. ... The Thomson-Houston Electric Company was formed in 1883 from the merger of the Elihu Thomsons American Electric Company and the interests of Edwin Houston. ... Nikola Tesla (1856-1943)[1] was a world-renowned Serbian inventor, physicist, mechanical engineer and electrical engineer. ...

Around the turn of the century arc-lighting systems were in decline but nonetheless, Thomson-Houston controlled key patents to urban lighting systems. This control slowed the expansion of incandescent lighting systems being developed by Thomas Edison's Edison General Electric Company. Conversely, Edison's control of direct current distribution and generating machinery patents blocked further expansion of Thomson-Houston. The roadblock to expansion was removed when the two companies merged in 1892 to form the General Electric Company (Noble, 6-10). Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847 – October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman who developed many devices which greatly influenced life around the world, including the phonograph and a long lasting light bulb. ... The General Electric Company, or GE (NYSE: GE) is a multinational technology and services company. ... The name General Electric Company refers to two companies: An American multinational, General Electric A defunct British company, The General Electric Company plc, now a part of Telent plc Category: ...

The arc lamps were soon superseded by the more efficient and longer-lasting filament lamps in most roles, remaining in only certain niche markets such as cinema projection and searchlights but even in these applications, conventional carbon arc lamps are finally being pushed into obsolescence by xenon arc lamps. 35 mm Kinoton movie projector in operation. ... Edisons classical searchlight cart. ... 15 kW Xenon short-arc lamp used in IMAX projectors Xenon arc lamps are an artificial light source. ...

Glowing carbon rods in a shut off arc lamp.

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 539 pixelsFull resolution (864 × 582 pixel, file size: 218 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture taken of glowing carbon rods after the arc was extinguished. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 539 pixelsFull resolution (864 × 582 pixel, file size: 218 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Picture taken of glowing carbon rods after the arc was extinguished. ...

See also

• Electric light
• Léon Foucault
• Graphite
• František Křižík
• Light bulb
• List of light sources
• Manual metal arc welding
• Movie projector
• Walther Nernst
• Photolithography
• Praseodymium
• Stage lighting
• Timeline of lighting technology
• Tesla patents
• Yablochkov candle
• Pavel Yablochkov

Most of the industrialized world is lit by electric lights, which are used both at night and to provide additional light during the daytime. ... ... Graphite (named by Abraham Gottlob Werner in 1789 from the Greek γραφειν (graphein): to draw/write, for its use in pencils) is one of the allotropes of carbon. ... FrantiÅ¡ek KÅ™ižík, approx 1902, portrait by Å echtl and Voseček studios FrantiÅ¡ek KÅ™ižík (July 8, 1847, Plánice near Klatovy – January 22, 1941, Stádlec near Tábor) was a Czech inventor, electrical engineer and entrepreneur. ... The light bulb is one of the most significant inventions in the history of the human race, illuminating the darkness of the evening and bringing light indoors at all times in order focus on the task at hand. ... A Standard Household Light bulb This page is a list of sources of light. ... Shielded Metal Arc Welding (SMAW) is also known as Manual Metal Arc (MMA) welding or stick welding and one of the most common forms of welding. ... 35 mm Kinoton movie projector in operation. ... Walther Nernst. ... Photolithography is a process used in semiconductor device fabrication to transfer a pattern from a photomask (also called reticle) to the surface of a substrate. ... General Name, Symbol, Number praseodymium, Pr, 59 Chemical series lanthanides Group, Period, Block n/a, 6, f Appearance grayish white Standard atomic weight 140. ... This is a current Stagecraft collaboration! Please help improve it to good article standard. ... Timeline of lighting technology Since the world began, people used the sun as their main source of light. ... Below is a list of Tesla patents. ... A Yablochkov candle (sometimes electric candle) is a type of electric carbon arc lamp, invented in 1876 by Pavel Yablochkov. ... Pavel Nikolayevich Yablochkov (Павел Николаевич Яблочков in Russian) (September 14/September 2 (O. S.), 1847 – March 31/March 19 (O.S.) 1894 ) was a Russian electrical engineer, the inventor...

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Arc lamp

• Braverman, Harry (1974). Labor and Monopoly Capital. New York: Monthly Review Press. 
• MacLaren, Malcolm (1943). The Rise of the Electrical Industry during the Nineteenth Century. Princeton: Princeton University Press. 
• Noble, David F. (1977). America by Design: Science, Technology, and the Rise of Corporate Capitalism. New York: Oxford University Press, 6-10. 
• Prasser, Harold C. (1953). The Electrical Manufacturers. Cambridge: Harvard University Press. 
• Slingo; Brooker (1900). Electrical Engineering for Electric Light Artisans, Third edition, London: Longmans & Co. 

Lighting and Lamps v • d • e
Incandescent:	Conventional - Halogen - Parabolic aluminized reflector (PAR)
Fluorescent:	Compact fluorescent (CFL) - Linear fluorescent - Induction lamp
Gas discharge:	High-intensity discharge (HID) - Mercury-vapor - Metal-halide - Neon - Sodium vapor
Electric arc:	Arc lamp - HMI - Xenon arc - Yablochkov candle
Combustion:	Acetylene/Carbide - Candle - Gas lighting - Kerosene lamp - Limelight - Oil lamp - Safety lamp - Petromax
Other types:	Sulfur lamp - Light-emitting diode (LED) - LED lamp (SSL) - Optical fiber - Plasma - Electroluminescent wire - Chemiluminescence