Characterization of a Pt-Ne hollow cathode spectral line source.

A source which produces a rather uniform distribution of spectral lines over the wavelength range from 115 to ~350 nm is being investigated as a secondary radiometric standard for use in space. This source is a sealed lamp with a hollow cathode of platinum and a fill gas of neon. A version of this lamp has already been flown in space but only as a wavelength standard. The following properties were studied: warmup time, stability, emission as a function of current, repeatability, spatial characteristics, impurities, angular dependence, long term behavior, and radiance.