Fluorescent lamp

An electric-discharge lamp in which mercury vapor produces ultraviolet light that excites a phosphor coating to emit visible light.

Gas-discharge lamp: A lamp that produces light by passing an electric current through an ionized gas. Fluorescent lamps are a phosphor-coated member of this broader lamp family.
Electric discharge: The flow of electric current through a gas or other medium, often accompanied by light emission. The lamp’s light begins with a discharge through low-pressure gas.
Fluorescent tube: A tubular fluorescent lamp whose electrodes are sealed into opposite ends of a glass tube. This familiar form made fluorescent lighting practical for offices, schools, and workshops.
Mercury pollution: Environmental contamination caused by the release of mercury into air, water, or soil. Broken or discarded lamps can release mercury, making collection and recycling consequential.
Edmund Germer: A German inventor who developed a high-pressure mercury-vapor lamp with a fluorescent coating. His 1920s work established a key design principle behind practical fluorescent lamps.
Mercury-vapor lamp: A gas-discharge lamp that produces light by exciting mercury vapor. Mercury vapor inside the tube emits the ultraviolet radiation that drives fluorescence.
Mercury (element): A metallic chemical element with symbol Hg that is liquid at room temperature. Mercury atoms in the tube emit ultraviolet radiation when excited by the discharge.
Compact fluorescent lamp: A fluorescent lamp with a folded or coiled tube designed to fit common light-bulb fixtures. It brought fluorescent discharge technology into household sockets.
Fluorescent lamp recycling: The recovery and treatment of materials from discarded fluorescent lamps, including mercury-bearing components. Recycling limits mercury releases and recovers glass and metals from spent tubes.
General Electric: An American industrial company that developed and commercialized fluorescent lighting in the twentieth century. Its research teams turned fluorescent-lamp principles into a commercial lighting system.

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