Phosphor persistence of oscilloscopic displays: a comparison of four phosphors

The period for which phosphor decay remains visible after stimulus offset was assessed for four phosphors commonly used in psychophysical experiments: P4, P15, P31, and P46. Stimuli were displayed behind closed shutters which opened at various intervals after stimulus offset. Thus, the observers' responses were based solely on the visibility of phosphor persistence. We varied viewing conditions (dark-adapted vs. veiling light), type of task (detection vs. identification), and intensity of the stimuli. No detectable persistence was ever produced by the P15 phosphor. In contrast, the P31 phosphor remained visible for several hundred ms. even with a veiling light. The P4 and P46 phosphors produced persistence of intermediate durations. It is concluded that P15 is the phosphor of choice for visual experiments.