List of light sources

This is a list of sources of light, the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Light sources produce photons from another energy source, such as heat, chemical reactions, or conversion of mass or a different frequency of electromagnetic energy, and include light bulbs and stars like the Sun. Reflectors (such as the moon, cat's eyes, and mirrors) do not actually produce the light that comes from them.

Incandescence

Incandescence is the emission of light from a hot body as a result of its temperature.

Nernst lamp – Early form of lamp using an incandescent ceramic rod
Volcanic eruption

Combustion

Lamps

Argand lamp – Type of oil lamp (obsolete)
Carbide lamp – Acetylene-burning lamps
Coleman lantern – Series of pressure lamps
Betty lamp – Oil or grease burning lamp originating from Europe (error)^{[clarification needed]}
Butter lamp – Lamps traditionally burning clarified yak butter
Flash-lamp – Electrically ignited photographic light source
Gas lighting – Type of artificial light
Gas mantle – Device for generating bright light when heated by a flame
Kerosene lamp – Type of lighting device that uses kerosene as a fuel
Lantern – Portable lighting devices
Limelight – Type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls (obsolete)
Oil lamp – Lamp used for lighting by burning oil
Oil lamp
Tilley lamp – Pressurized kerosene lamps made by the Tilley company in the UK

Other

Argon flash – Single-use source of very short and extremely bright flash of light - shock wave
Brazier – Container used to burn charcoal or other solid fuel
Bunsen burner – Laboratory device used to make fire from fuel and oxidizer gases
Candle – Wick embedded in solid flammable substance
Candle
Ember – A hot lump of slowly burning solid fuel, usually associated with a fire
Explosive – Substance that can explode
Fire – Rapid and hot oxidation of a material
Fire
Fire whirl – Whirlwind induced by and often composed of fire
Fire whirl
Fireworks – Low explosive pyrotechnic devices for entertainment
Fireworks
Flamethrower – Ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable stream of fire
Incandescent light bulb – Electric light bulb with a resistively heated wire filament
Muzzle flash – Light created by gunfire
Rubens tube – Physics apparatus for demonstrating acoustic standing waves in a tube
Torch – Stick with a flaming end used as a source of light

Nuclear and high-energy particle

Annihilation – Collision of a particle and its antiparticle
Nuclear reaction – Transformation of a nuclide to another
- Nuclear fission – Nuclear reaction splitting an atom into multiple parts
- Nuclear fusion – Process of combining atomic nuclei
Nuclear weapon – Explosive weapon that utilizes nuclear reactions
Cherenkov radiation – Electromagnetic radiation from a charged particle in a medium
Synchrotron radiation – Electromagnetic radiation
Free-electron laser – Laser using electron beam in vacuum as gain medium
Bremsstrahlung – Electromagnetic radiation due to deceleration of charged particles

Celestial and atmospheric

Astronomical objects
- Sun (sunlight, solar radiation)
  - Stellar corona – Outermost layer of a star's atmosphere
  - Photosphere – Star's outer shell from which light is radiated
- Star (Starlight)
  - Nova / supernova / hypernova
  - Galaxy – Large gravitationally bound system of stars and interstellar matter
    - Milky Way – Galaxy containing the Solar System
  - Star cluster – Group of stars
- Deep-sky object – Any astronomical object that is not an individual star
  - Quasar – Active galactic nucleus containing a supermassive black hole
  - Accretion disk – Structure formed by diffuse material in orbital motion around a massive central body
  - Blazar – Very compact quasi-stellar radio source
  - Magnetar – Type of neutron star with a strong magnetic field
  - Pulsar – Rapidly rotating neutron star
Atmospheric entry – Passage of an object through the gases of an atmosphere from outer space
- Meteor
  Meteor
  - Meteor shower – Celestial event caused by streams of meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere
- Bolide – Extremely bright meteor
  - Earth-grazing fireball – Meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere and leaves again
Lightning (Plasma)
- Sprite (lightning) – Electrical discharges above thunderstorm clouds
- Ball lightning – Atmospheric electrical phenomenon
- Upper-atmospheric lightning – Rare transient luminous events that occur over tops of thunder storms
- Dry lightning – Thunderstorm where little to no precipitation reaches the ground
Aurora – Atmospheric effect caused by the solar wind

Luminescence

Luminescence is emission of light by a substance not resulting from heat.

Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence is light resulting from biochemical reaction by a living organism.

Aequorea victoria – Species of hydrozoan
Antarctic krill – Species of krill
Biophoton – Photon from a biological source
Cavitation bubbles made by mantis shrimps^{[citation needed]}
Firefly – Family of beetles
Foxfire – Fungal bioluminescence
Glowworm – Bioluminescent insect larva
Luciferase – Enzyme family
Panellus stipticus – Species of fungus in the family Mycenaceae found in Asia, Australia, Europe, and North America
Bioluminescent panellus stipticus
Parchment worm – Genus of annelid worms
Piddock – Family of bivalves
Anglerfish – Bony fish of the teleost order Lophiiformes

Cathodoluminescence

Cathodoluminescence is light resulting from a luminescent material being struck by electrons.

Chemiluminescence

Chemiluminescence is light resulting from a chemical reaction.

Cryoluminescence

Cryoluminescence is the emission of light when an object is cooled.

Crystalloluminescence

Crystalloluminescence is light produced during crystallization.

Electric discharge (electrical energy)

Arc lamp – Lamp that produces light by an electric arc

Flashtube – Incoherent light source
Lightning – Weather phenomenon involving electrostatic discharge

Electric spark – Abrupt electrical discharge through an ionised channel
Electrodeless lamp – Gas-discharge lamp using electric and magnetic fields to transfer energy to the gas insidePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets

Excimer lamp – Ultraviolet source based on spontaneous emission of excimer molecules.

Fluorescent lamp – Lamp using fluorescence to produce light
Compact fluorescent lamp – Fluorescent lamps with folded tubes, often with built-in ballast

Tanning lamp – Device which produces ultraviolet light used for indoor tanning

Blacklight – Light fixture that emits long-wave ultraviolet light and very little visible light

Geissler tube – Early gas-discharge lamp

Moore tube – American electrical engineer and inventor (Obsolete)

Ruhmkorff lamp – Artificial light sources powered by ionized gas electric dischargePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets (Obsolete)

High-intensity discharge lamp – Type of electric lamp/bulb High-intensity discharge lamp
Carbon arc lamp – Lamp that produces light by an electric arcPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets

Ceramic metal-halide lamp

Hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide lamp – used for stage lightingPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback

Mercury-vapor lamp – Light source using an electric arc through mercury vapor

Metal-halide lamp – Type of lamp

Sodium-vapor lamp – Type of electric gas-discharge lamp

Sulfur lamp – Lighting system

Xenon arc lamp – Gas discharge lamp that produces intense white light

Hollow-cathode lamp – spectral line source used in physics and chemistryPages displaying wikidata descriptions as a fallback

Induction lighting – Gas-discharge lamp using electric and magnetic fields to transfer energy to the gas insidePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
Sulfur lamp – Lighting system Sulfur lamps

Neon and argon lamps – Light source based on gas discharge
Dekatron – Early and obsolete type of computer memory Dekatron

Nixie tube – Electronic numeric display device

Plasma lamp – Type of electrodeless gas-discharge lamp

Xenon flash lamp – Incoherent light sourcePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets

Electrochemiluminescence

Electrochemiluminescence is light resulting from an electrochemical reaction.

Electroluminescence

Electroluminescence is light resulting from an electric current being passed through a substance.

Light-emitting diode – Semiconductor and solid-state light source
- Organic light-emitting diode – Diode that emits light from an organic compound
- Polymer light-emitting diode – Diode that emits light from an organic compound
- AMOLED, Active matrix OLED - typical OLED addressing scheme for color OLED displays. (Display content) Has to be periodically refreshed to maintain picture, as opposed to for example Electronic paper – Display technology for use in mobile devices and televisions
Light-emitting electrochemical cell – solid-state device that generates light from an electric current
Electroluminescent wire – Capacitive light source in the form of a wire
Field-induced polymer electroluminescent – Electroluminescent light source
Laser – Device which emits light via optical amplification
Lasers
- Chemical laser – Laser that obtains energy from chemical reactions
- Dye laser – Equipment using an organic dye to emit coherent light
- Free-electron laser – Laser using electron beam in vacuum as gain medium
- Gas dynamic laser – Laser based on differences in relaxation velocities of molecular vibrational states
- Gas laser – Laser in which electricity is discharged through gas
- Ion laser – Type of gas laser
- Laser diode – Semiconductor laser
  - Laser excited phosphor – Devices and processes that produce light Long distance beam light
- Metal-vapor laser
- Nonlinear optics – Branch of physics
- Quantum well laser – Laser diode in which the active region is so narrow that quantum confinement occurs
- Quantum dot laser – Semiconductor laser that uses quantum dots as the active laser medium
- Ruby laser – Solid-state laser
- Solid-state laser – Laser which uses a solid gain medium

Mechanoluminescence

Mechanoluminescence is light resulting from a mechanical action on a solid.

Triboluminescence, light generated when bonds in a material are broken when that material is scratched, crushed, or rubbed
Fractoluminescence, light generated when bonds in certain crystals are broken by fractures
Piezoluminescence, light produced by the action of pressure on certain solids
Sonoluminescence, light resulting from imploding bubbles in a liquid when excited by sound

Photoluminescence

Photoluminescence is light resulting from absorption of photons.

Fluorescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation
Phosphorescence, the delayed re-emission of light by substance that has absorbed it

Radioluminescence

Radioluminescence is light resulting from bombardment by ionizing radiation.

Thermoluminescence

Thermoluminescence is light from the re-emission of absorbed energy when a substance is heated.

References

/https://www.britannica.com*/

External links

A CD spectrometer Color spectrographs of common light sources