Unique spectral color properties make xenon lamps attractive for use in many applications. Xenon lamps have a daylight color temperature of 6000 degrees K, closely matching the spectral distribution of the sun (380 to 780 nm). This is essentially "white" light, which remains constant throughout the life of the lamp. Xenon also delivers the important advantage of producing an essentially continuous spectrum of visible light; this is reflected in a high CRI, or color representation index. This ensures that color properties are constant throughout lamp life.
The color temperature of xenon lamps is independent of warm-up time, lamp type, wattage, lamp voltage, lamp current, and operating hours of the lamp.
The spectral distribution shown in the chart below is typical of a xenon lamp from LTI. Note that approximately 6% of the power used is emitted in the form of UV radiation below 380 nm.
