According to one embodiment, a white light source includes a combination of a light emitting diode and phosphors. One of the phosphors is at least a cerium activated yttrium aluminum garnet-based phosphor. There is no light emission spectrum peak at which a ratio of a largest maximum value to a minimum value is greater than 1.9. The largest maximum value is largest among at least one maximum value present in a wavelength range of 400 nm to 500 nm in a light emission spectrum of white light emitted from the white light source. The minimum value is adjacent to the largest maximum value in a longer wavelength side of the light emission spectrum.

According to one embodiment, a white light source includes a combination of a light emitting diode and phosphors. One of the phosphors is at least a cerium activated yttrium aluminum garnet-based phosphor. There is no light emission spectrum peak at which a ratio of a largest maximum value to a minimum value is greater than 1.9. The largest maximum value is largest among at least one maximum value present in a wavelength range of 400 nm to 500 nm in a light emission spectrum of white light emitted from the white light source. The minimum value is adjacent to the largest maximum value in a longer wavelength side of the light emission spectrum.

According to one embodiment, a white light source includes a combination of a light emitting diode and phosphors. One of the phosphors is at least a cerium activated yttrium aluminum garnet-based phosphor. There is no light emission spectrum peak at which a ratio of a largest maximum value to a minimum value is greater than 1.9. The largest maximum value is largest among at least one maximum value present in a wavelength range of 400 nm to 500 nm in a light emission spectrum of white light emitted from the white light source. The minimum value is adjacent to the largest maximum value in a longer wavelength side of the light emission spectrum.

According to one embodiment, a white light source includes a combination of a light emitting diode and phosphors. One of the phosphors is at least a cerium activated yttrium aluminum garnet-based phosphor. There is no light emission spectrum peak at which a ratio of a largest maximum value to a minimum value is greater than 1.9. The largest maximum value is largest among at least one maximum value present in a wavelength range of 400 nm to 500 nm in a light emission spectrum of white light emitted from the white light source. The minimum value is adjacent to the largest maximum value in a longer wavelength side of the light emission spectrum.

In a phosphor according to an aspect, an emission site has a perovskite crystal structure expressed by ABX.sub.3, in which A and B are each a cation and X is an anion, and an emission element is located at a B site serving as a body center of the perovskite crystal structure.

A phosphor according to an embodiment is a europium-activated alkaline-earth chloroapatite phosphor having a composition expressed by a composition formula: (M.sub.1-xEu.sub.x).sub.5(PO.sub.4).sub.3Cl, where M is an alkaline-earth element containing at least Sr and Ba, x is an atomic ratio satisfying 0.04≤x≤0.2. In the phosphor of this embodiment, absorptance of light at a wavelength of 400 nm is 90% or more, and absorptance of light at a wavelength of 650 nm is 2% or less.

A phosphor according to an embodiment is a europium-activated alkaline-earth chloroapatite phosphor having a composition expressed by a composition formula: (M.sub.1-xEu.sub.x).sub.5(PO.sub.4).sub.3Cl, where M is an alkaline-earth element containing at least Sr and Ba, x is an atomic ratio satisfying 0.04≤x≤0.2. In the phosphor of this embodiment, absorptance of light at a wavelength of 400 nm is 90% or more, and absorptance of light at a wavelength of 650 nm is 2% or less.

According to one embodiment, a white light source includes a combination of a light emitting diode and phosphors. One of the phosphors is at least a cerium activated yttrium aluminum garnet-based phosphor. There is no light emission spectrum peak at which a ratio of a largest maximum value to a minimum value is greater than 1.9. The largest maximum value is largest among at least one maximum value present in a wavelength range of 400 nm to 500 nm in a light emission spectrum of white light emitted from the white light source. The minimum value is adjacent to the largest maximum value in a longer wavelength side of the light emission spectrum.

According to one embodiment, a white light source includes a combination of a light emitting diode and phosphors. One of the phosphors is at least a cerium activated yttrium aluminum garnet-based phosphor. There is no light emission spectrum peak at which a ratio of a largest maximum value to a minimum value is greater than 1.9. The largest maximum value is largest among at least one maximum value present in a wavelength range of 400 nm to 500 nm in a light emission spectrum of white light emitted from the white light source. The minimum value is adjacent to the largest maximum value in a longer wavelength side of the light emission spectrum.

According to one embodiment, a white light source includes a combination of a light emitting diode and phosphors. One of the phosphors is at least a cerium activated yttrium aluminum garnet-based phosphor. There is no light emission spectrum peak at which a ratio of a largest maximum value to a minimum value is greater than 1.9. The largest maximum value is largest among at least one maximum value present in a wavelength range of 400 nm to 500 nm in a light emission spectrum of white light emitted from the white light source. The minimum value is adjacent to the largest maximum value in a longer wavelength side of the light emission spectrum.