A closed loop tubular discharge assembly for an electrodeless light-emitting device and discharge reactor is disclosed. The discharge assembly comprises one or more tubular segments tubularly connected at their respective ends to form the closed loop tubular assembly, which hermetically encloses an ionizable gas. At least one of the one or more tubular segments forms a non-cylindrical, hollow-shaped tubular segment. In one embodiment, the non-cylindrical, hollow-shaped segment is formed by an internal tube at least partially enclosed within an external tube, forming a hollow-shaped discharge envelope enclosing the ionizable gas there between. When a discharge current circulates in the ionizable gas of the envelope, a hollow-shaped plasma is created in the envelope and surrounds the internal tube. This design has been shown to increase performance and provide several improvements over prior art devices.

The present invention provides a bulb (100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 140′) an excitation chamber (200, 210, 220, 230, 230′) a ferrite core (300, 310, 310′), a spool (400, 410); an assembly or subassembly of such components, and a lamp (100, 1100, 1200, 1300, 1400, 1500, 1600, 1600′, 1600″, 1700, 1800) for producing electromagnetic radiation, such as in the light spectrum, UV or IR.

An excimer lamp, which includes a first lamp cap, a second lamp cap, a first electrode head, a second electrode head, a conductive heat dissipation rod, a light-transparent annular sleeve, and a conductive annular net. The heat dissipation rod and conductive annular net are respectively connected to the first and second electrode heads to excite an excimer gas in the light-transparent annular sleeve. Inside the excimer lamp the, a large amount of heat can be conducted and dissipated through the conductive heat dissipation rod, and then through the heat dissipation of the first lamp cap or by heat conductive annular rings between sections of the lamp. At the same time, the conductive annular nets can also conduct and dispatch a large amount of above mentioned heat; the heat may be further conducted and dispatched through the second lamp cap or through the heat conductive annular rings, if present.

A system for powering an excimer bulb includes a first inductor configured to be coupled to a first terminal of the excimer bulb. The system further includes a first transistor coupled to the first inductor and having an on state configured to allow current to flow through the first inductor and an off state. The system further includes a second transistor configured to be coupled to the first terminal of the excimer bulb and having an on state configured to allow current to flow through the excimer bulb and an off state. The system further includes a controller coupled to the first transistor and the second transistor, and to control operation of the first transistor and the second transistor to power the excimer bulb.

The light source contains a chamber with a region of radiating plasma sustained by a focused beam of a CW laser. The chamber consists of a tube, a bottom and a cap. The cap is arranged for filling the chamber with gas. The tube and bottom are made from an optically transparent material. The bottom is arranged for input into the chamber of the CW laser beam and pulsed laser beams used for the plasma ignition, while the tube is arranged for exit of the output beam of plasma radiation. Preferably shape of the tube is arranged for reducing aberrations which distort a path of rays of plasma radiation passing through the tube wall. The technical result consists in creating electrodeless high-brightness broadband light sources with the high spatial and power stability, and in providing an ability to collect plasma radiation in a spatial angle of more than 9 sr.

An electrodeless laser-driven light source includes a laser source that generates CW sustaining light. A pump laser generates pump light. A Q-switched laser crystal is positioned to receive the pump light and generates pulsed laser light in response to the generated pump light that propagates to a breakdown region in a gas filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A detector detects plasma light generated by a CW plasma located at least partly in a CW plasma region in the gas filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas and generates a detection signal. A controller generates control signals that control the pump light to the Q-switched laser crystal so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light within a time delay after the detection signal exceeds a threshold level.

An electrodeless laser-driven light source includes a laser source that generates CW sustaining light. A pump laser generates pump light. A Q-switched laser crystal is positioned to receive the pump light and generates pulsed laser light in response to the generated pump light that propagates to a breakdown region in a gas filled bulb comprising an ionizing gas. A detector detects plasma light generated by a CW plasma located at least partly in a CW plasma region in the gas filled bulb comprising the ionizing gas and generates a detection signal. A controller generates control signals that control the pump light to the Q-switched laser crystal so as to extinguish the pulsed laser light within a time delay after the detection signal exceeds a threshold level.

Methods and systems for producing a change in a medium. A first method and system (1) place in a vicinity of the medium at least one upconverter including a gas for plasma ignition, with the upconverter being configured, upon exposure to initiation energy, to generate light for emission into the medium, and (2) apply the initiation energy from an energy source including the first wavelength λ.sub.1 to the medium, wherein the emitted light directly or indirectly produces the change in the medium. A second method and system (1) place in a vicinity of the medium an agent receptive to microwave radiation or radiofrequency radiation, and (2) apply as an initiation energy the microwave radiation or radiofrequency radiation by which the agent directly or indirectly generates emitted light in the infrared, visible, or ultraviolet range to produce at least one of physical and biological changes in the medium.

A laser-sustained broadband light source includes a gas containment structure and multiple jet nozzles. The jet nozzles are configured to direct multiple liquid jets of plasma-forming material in directions to collide with one another within the gas containment structure. The laser-sustained broadband light source further includes a laser pump source configured to generate an optical pump to sustain a plasma in a region of the gas containment structure at a collision point of the plurality of liquid jets and a light collector element configured to collect broadband light emitted from the plasma.

A system for generating laser sustained broadband light includes a pump source configured to generate a pumping beam, a gas containment structure for containing a gas and a multi-pass optical assembly. The multi-pass optical assembly includes one or more optical elements configured to perform a plurality of passes of the pumping beam through a portion of the gas to sustain a broadband-light-emitting plasma. The one or more optical elements are arranged to collect an unabsorbed portion of the pumping beam transmitted through the plasma and direct the collected unabsorbed portion of the pumping beam back into the portion of the gas.