Brightness temperatures and intensity measurements in flash discharges

Abstract
The brightness temperature and the intensity distribution of the Lyman, coaxial and capillary-type flash tubes have been measured and compared over the wavelength range from 2580 to 4520 Å. The brightness temperature, obtained by comparison with a standard lamp, for these flash tubes ranged from 13 000 to 30 000 °K. The intensity per unit wave number was found to be independent of wave number over the above range for the Lyman and coaxial tubes. For the capillary flash the region independent of wave number extended up to 31 000 cm -1 beyond which the continuum decreased exponentially, in agreement with the predictions of the Unsöld-Kramers theory.