APPLICATIONS OF RADIANT ENERGY 16-11

dark. They are the only type of commercially available luminous materials
that maintain self-luminosity over long periods of time. The power source
(radium) has a half-life period of approximately 1,700 years and can be
considered a continuous source of energy. However, in addition to
emitting alpha rays which cause the luminosity of the material, radium also
emits gamma rays detrimental to the glowing salt. It is the rate of salt de-
composition under the bombardment of the gamma rays that determines the
useful life of a radium-luminous material. A good-quality material will be
useful for over 6 months and will maintain a relatively constant brightness
during this period. The actual life of a radium-luminous paint is controlled
to a great extent by its initial brightness, which is varied by changing the
concentration of radioactive material in the mixture. Increased brightness
means increased radioactive content, increased gamma ray emission, and
more rapid decomposition of the glowing salt.
Because of the expense of the radium used to activate this material (it is
mixed in in the form of a salt of radium) radium-luminous paint seldom is
used in large quantities or to cover large areas.
MISCELLANEOUS APPLICATIONS OF ULTRAVIOLET ENERGY
The ultraviolet energy emitted by a tungsten-filament lamp (color
temperature: 3,000 degrees Kelvin) is equal to only about 1 per cent of the
energy in the visible spectrum. Therefore, it is not of practical conse-
quence. Fluorescent lamps also emit some ultraviolet, in particular the
0.3652-micron band of the mercury discharge. This radiant energy
likewise is only a small fraction of the light energy emitted. Generally,
illumination sources are not considered useful producers of ultraviolet
radiation. Such ultraviolet as they do emit normally is composed of
longer wavelengths, near the visible spectrum.
Sources of Ultraviolet Energy
Mercury arcs enclosed within ultraviolet transmitting glass or fused
quartz emit ultraviolet energy in addition to light. The ultraviolet com-
ponent of the energy emitted by a high-pressure quartz mercury arc may
equal or be nearly twice as large as that of the visible component, depending
upon lamp design.
Low-pressure quartz mercury lamps produce about 85 per cent of their
total (light and ultraviolet energy) output in the ultraviolet spectrum.
Over 90 per cent of their ultraviolet energy output is emitted in one band at
0.2537 micron. When an ultraviolet transmitting glass such as Vycor is
substituted for fused quartz, the ultraviolet output is reduced by about
20 per cent.
Most ultraviolet sources require special circuits and external ballast for
operation. A few have their ballast built into the bulb, either in the form
of an incandescent filament or a low-temperature resistor, and may be
attached to and operated from a standard electrical outlet.
A fluorescent type lamp with an ultraviolet emitting phosphor is avail-
able also. (See Tables 16-2 and 16-3 and Figs. 16-6 and 16-7.)