Relative enhancement of near-UV emission from a pulsed low-pressure mercury discharge lamp, using a rare gas mixture

In this paper, we explain the physical reasons for the enhancement of near-UV and visible emissions from a low-pressure mercury-argon discharge under pulse drive conditions. The conditions of operation that maximize the enhancement of near-UV and visible radiation, including the effect of the buffer gas, are investigated. We show that for a pulsed discharge, electron-ion recombination followed by cascade radiative transitions is the process responsible for most of the 365 nm emission and that argon with a small admixture of krypton is the buffer gas composition that leads to maximum radiative emission due to near-resonant energy transfers to mercury high-lying levels.