Integral reflector flashlamp

Claim 1

A flashlamp having a short-arc comprising: a hollow body member; a concave reflector fitted within the body member to define a curved reflecting wall symmetrical about a central axis of the lamp; a window assembly including a transparent window sealingly mounted to the body member to maintain pressurized inert gas within the space encompassed by the curved reflector and to pass collimated light from the lamp; inert gas enclosed within the space encompassed by the curved reflector and the window assembly and maintained at a pressure of less than two atmospheres; first and second opposed electrode members, mounted to extend along said central axis with the distal ends of said electrodes being spaced apart from one another in opposed relationship to define a short-arc gap at the focal point of the concave reflector; and pulse-producing means connected to the respective electrodes to provide current pulses to the electrodes to practice a luminescent flow of electrons across said short-arc gap between the distal ends of the first and second electrodes, which pulses provide peak currents exceeding about two hundred amperes and which each have durations ranging from about two to ten microseconds.