Global InformationBlacklight information
A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp that emits long-wave (UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light.[1][2][3][4] One type of lamp has a violet filter material, either on the bulb or in a separate glass filter in the lamp housing, which blocks most visible light and allows through UV,[3] so the lamp has a dim violet glow when operating.[5][6] Blacklight lamps which have this filter have a lighting industry designation that includes the letters "BLB".[3][5] This stands for "blacklight blue". A second type of lamp produces ultraviolet but does not have the filter material, so it produces more visible light and has a blue color when operating.[3][4][5] These tubes are made for use in "bug zapper" insect traps, and are identified by the industry designation "BL".[5][6] This stands for "blacklight".
Blacklight sources may be specially designed fluorescent lamps, mercury-vapor lamps, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), lasers, or incandescent lamps. In medicine, forensics, and some other scientific fields, such a light source is referred to as a Wood's lamp, named after Robert Williams Wood, who invented the original Wood's glass UV filters.
Although many other types of lamp emit ultraviolet light with visible light, black lights are essential when UV-A light without visible light is needed, particularly in observing fluorescence,[4][5] the colored glow that many substances emit when exposed to UV. Black lights are employed for decorative and artistic lighting effects, diagnostic and therapeutic uses in medicine,[3] the detection of substances tagged with fluorescent dyes, rock-hunting, scorpion-hunting,[7] the detection of counterfeit money, the curing of plastic resins, attracting insects[4] and the detection of refrigerant leaks affecting refrigerators and air conditioning systems. Strong sources of long-wave ultraviolet light are used in tanning beds.[4]
- ^ Kitsinelis, Spiros (2012). The Right Light: Matching Technologies to Needs and Applications. CRC Press. p. 108. ISBN 978-1-4398-9931-1. Archived from the original on 2013-05-27.
- ^ Miller, Larry S.; McEvoy Jr., Richard T. (2010). Police Photography (6th ed.). Elsevier. p. 202. ISBN 978-1-4377-5581-7. Archived from the original on 2013-05-26.
- ^ a b c d e Booth, C. (1971). Methods in Microbiology. Vol. 4. Academic Press. p. 642. ISBN 978-0-08-086030-5. Archived from the original on 2013-05-27.
- ^ a b c d e Simpson, Robert S. (2003). Lighting Control: Technology and Applications. Taylor & Francis. p. 125. ISBN 978-0-240-51566-3. Archived from the original on 2013-05-27.
- ^ a b c d e "Black Lights". Technical information. Glow Inc. 2010. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 15, 2018.
- ^ a b Rorie, Benjamin (2011). "How Do Black Lights Work?". Blog. 1000Bulbs.com. Archived from the original on February 14, 2013. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
- ^ Stachel, Shawn (1999). "The fluorescence of scorpions and cataractogenesis" (PDF). Chemistry & Biology. 6 (8): 531–539. doi:10.1016/S1074-5521(99)80085-4. PMID 10421760. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2023-03-11. Retrieved 2023-01-15.