Electrical Characteristics of Stroboscopic Flash Lamps

Abstract

This paper describes the electrical characteristics of gas-filled discharge tubes when flashed by a condenser discharge. The object of the experiments was to determine the effects of tube dimensions, pressure, voltage, and capacity upon the performance. The results are of an experimental nature and cover a limited range of values of tubes and circuit constants. An empirical constant called tube resistance is defined and evaluated. This constant is useful in predicting the performance of tubes in electrical circuits.

Donald Allan Ramsay CM. 11 July 1922 — 25 October 2007

“…The suggested method was to produce this radical by photolysis of ketene or diazomethane and photograph its spectrum in absorption with a Lyman flash lamp. Using findings from an earlier paper on strobe lights for high-speed photography (Murphy & Edgerton 1941), Ramsay constructed a flash photolysis apparatus and started looking for the spectra of free radicals with a 21-foot Eagle (concave grating) spectrograph. Although CH 2 remained elusive for the moment, Ramsay was successful in discovering extensive spectra of diatomic SH (7) and the polyatomic free radicals NH 2 (5, 9) and HCO (10).…”

A survey of cold cathode discharge tubes

“…led to the highintensity flash tubes now widely used for photographic purposes. 20 Argon and xenon-krypton gas fillings were chosen to produce a substantially white flash when loaded to an instantaneous dissipation of up to 1MW.…”