Investigation of a coaxial boosted-output hollow-cathode lamp for atomic absorption

A version of the boosted-output, hollow-cathode lamp has been studied as a possible light source for atomic absorption. Our version of this lamp utilizes a secondary electrical discharge to enhance the emission. passing axially through the center of an open cylindrical cathode. Eventually the increase in intensity is accompanied by a decrease in the absorbance of test solutions due to line-broadening in the lamp. Using the criterion of equivalent absorbance, lamps of this design provided ten to twenty times the intensity of commercial hollow-cathode lamps for the elements studied: aluminum, molybdenum, titanium vanadium and copper.