Rapid measurement of spatial light distribution of a short-arc xenon flash lamp

Small short-arc xenon flash lamps, yielding high energy and ultraviolet radiation without cooling structures, provide ideal analytic-instrument light. Improving instrument designs requires accurately determining spatial optical-flux distribution. Thus, this paper presents rapid scanning of a xenon lamp's central light intensity using a high-sensitivity photodiode to capture short light pulses. Results show two-dimensional optical illumination patterns. In the horizontal mode, the anode and cathode lie in the target plane. In the vertical mode, the two electrodes are centered in a circle. Thus, because the xenon lamp's spatial light flux varies by orientation and main driving voltage, we recommend sampling light horizontally in front of the lamp across small angles.