Development of a pulsed vacuum ultraviolet light source with adjustable intensity

This paper describes the development of a pulsed light source using the discharge from an electrode in a medium of various noble gases. This source can be used to aid in the characterization and testing of new vacuum-ultraviolet sensitive light detection devices. The source includes a novel spark driver circuit, a spark chamber into which different noble gases can be introduced, and an optical attenuation cell capable of being filled with different gases to allow for the attenuation of the pulsed light down to single photon levels. We describe the construction, calibration, and characterization of this device deployed at a dedicated light detection test stand at Oak Ridge National Laboratory.