Abstract:
A high pressure metal halide vapor arc lamp providing radiation concentrated in selected spectral bands. The filling comprises metal halide buffer species in addition to metal halide emitter species. The buffer species increase the energy input to the arc, thereby augmenting the radiation from the emitter species. The radiation from the buffer species may be negligible or is largely suppressed. A lamp emitting in the blue, green and red bands comprises a limited quantity of ZnI.sub.2 as buffer species which serve to augment the radiation from LiI and TlI present as emitter species, optionally with a limited quantity of Hg as a secondary buffer.