Radiometric characterization of ultrahigh radiance xenon short-arc discharge lamps

Xenon short-arc discharge lamps exhibit ultrahigh radiance with substantial emission beyond the visible, primarily in the near infrared. Their radiance distributions are spatially and angularly inhomogeneous due to both the structure of the plasma arc and the infrared radiation from the electrodes. These characteristics are favorable for high-irradiance biomedical and high-temperature reactor applications that exploit both visible light and infrared radiation. For the affiliated optical designs, full-spectrum radiometry, rather than just visible photometry, is needed and not extensively available. We present experimental measurements for the spectral, spatial, and angular distributions of such 150 W lamps and relate the consequences for such novel applications.