Arc lamp

Description

A high-intensity light in which the radiation source is an electric current that jumps between two incandescent electrodes housed in a Quartz bulb. A carbon arc lamp has two carbon electrodes in an air environment. A xenon arc lamp has two metal electrodes and a Xenon gas filled environment. Similarly, mercury vapor and sodium vapor arc lamps contain Mercury or Sodium gases at reduced pressure. Arc lamps, the first type of electric lighting devices, replaced gas lamps for the illumination of city streets.

Synonyms and Related Terms

arc light; electric lamp; voltaic light; Bogenlampe (Deut.); lampe à arc (Fr.)

Authority

• Random House, Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, Grammercy Book, New York, 1997

• The American Heritage Dictionary or Encarta, via Microsoft Bookshelf 98, Microsoft Corp., 1998