High-Intensity Discharge Lamps and Their Environment

Many characteristics of high-intensity discharge lamps such as arc luminance, color variations, the effects of operating position and ballasting, and the interaction of lamp and luminaire properties are important for system design and testing. However, these data are not as readily available as the normal lamp descriptions of luminous flux, physical size, etc. This is a tutorial paper that discusses the less frequently mentioned characteristics that are important for the proper use of high-intensity discharge lamps.