A thumb stud for a folding knife assembly includes a body extending between a first end and a second end. A hollow passage extends between the ends, and a tritium vial is disposed within the hollow passage and extends between the first and second ends. A first lens is disposed within the hollow passage adjacent the first end and a second lens is disposed within the hollow passage adjacent the second end. The first and second lenses encapsulate the tritium vial within the hollow passage of the body and allow illumination produced by the tritium vial to be viewable through the first and second lenses to illuminate the thumb stud. In an alternative arrangement, the tritium vial can be replaced with a wafer which houses the tritium vial. In this arrangement, a pair of wafers are each disposed adjacent respective lenses at respective ends of the body.

A lighting element with a gaseous tritium light source and an elongated plastic housing that at least partially encloses the gaseous tritium light source with its housing shell and forms a latching element that snaps together with the gaseous tritium light source, which can be inserted into the plastic housing, and holds it in the plastic housing. A rugged lighting element can be produced if the latching element is formed by at least one catch element, which catch element has a radially sprung flexible spring and at least one, preferably two, inwardly oriented snaps with an indentation for snapping together with the gaseous tritium light source.

Disclosed is a laser-driven photon source comprising drive optics which focus drive radiation so as to maintain a plasma. The point spread function of the drive optics has a point spread function (75) which is configured such that a spectral position of a peak output wavelength of a black body portion of output radiation emitted by said plasma within a desired wavelength band.

A gaseous-phase ionizing radiation generator for the voltage controlled production, flux, and use of one or more forms of ionizing electromagnetic and/or particulate radiation including: embodiments to collect and convert the particulate radiation that is generated by the radiation generator into electricity; embodiments that generate electricity from the ionized gas within the radiation generator by means of an auxiliary electrode structure composed of interdigitated individual electrodes of alternating work function; and a method or procedure for the fabrication and the activation of at least one working electrode composed in part of a metal hydride host material that is not formally considered to be radioactive.

A gaseous-phase ionizing; radiation generator for the voltage controlled production, flux, and use of one or more forms of ionizing electrornagnetic and/or particulate radiation including: embodiments to collect and convert the particulate radiation that is generated by the radiation generator into electricity; embodiments that generate electricity from the ionized gas within the radiation generator by means of an auxiliary electrode structure composed of interdigitated individual electrodes of alternating work function; and a method or procedure for the fabrication and the activation of at least one working electrode composed in part of a metal hydride host material that is not formally considered to be radioactive.

A gaseous tritium light source (GTLS), which has a hermetically sealed outer sleeve made of glass, more particularly borosilicate glass. A high durability and lighting intensity is produced due to the fact that at least some sections of the outer sleeve have an outer coating applied directly to the outer surface of the outer sleeve serving as a reflective layer made of a metal, wherein the outer coating has an epitaxial structure and wherein the metal has a reflectance of >70% for visible light.

A gaseous tritium light source (GTLS), which has a hermetically sealed outer sleeve made of glass, more particularly borosilicate glass. A high durability and lighting intensity is produced due to the fact that at least some sections of the outer sleeve have an outer coating applied directly to the outer surface of the outer sleeve serving as a reflective layer made of a metal, wherein the outer coating has an epitaxial structure and wherein the metal has a reflectance of >70% for visible light.

A thumb stud for a folding knife assembly includes a body extending between a first end and a second end. A hollow passage extends between the ends, and a tritium vial is disposed within the hollow passage and extends between the first and second ends. A first lens is disposed within the hollow passage adjacent the first end and a second lens is disposed within the hollow passage adjacent the second end. The first and second lenses encapsulate the tritium vial within the hollow passage of the body and allow illumination produced by the tritium vial to be viewable through the first and second lenses to illuminate the thumb stud. In an alternative arrangement, the tritium vial can be replaced with a wafer which houses the tritium vial. In this arrangement, a pair of wafers are each disposed adjacent respective lenses at respective ends of the body.