How ,,induction’’ lamp works and absurdities of quantum hypothesis

Background and actual explanation

The principle involved in light generation by electromagnetic induction is well known from the beginning of XX century. In 1891 Tesla exemplified for the first time the ,,wireless light’’ and later in 1907 a patent was asked by Hewitt. The theoretical basses were developed by J.J. Thompson around 1927. The absence of possibility to control the phenomena retarded his application on the market. Today, this kind of sources is considered one of most efficient devices on the market, but personally I have doubt regarding the wide spread of them, due to secondary effects on the human health, produced by microwave field. There is already too much electromagnetic pollution … but this is another topic not related to present discussion.

In principle, an induction lamp is an electrodeless fluorescent lamp. Without electrodes, the lamp relies on the fundamental principles of electromagnetic induction and gas discharge to create light.

Discharge lamps generate light when current passes through ionized gas or ionized metal vapors. Depending on the type of gas either visible light is emitted directly or UV radiation is produced in the glass bulb and converted into visible radiation by an appropriate coating inside tube.

In normal fluorescents lamps the electrons are produced by an electric field applied between two electrodes. The emitted electrons collide with mercury atoms and produce ionization and a supplementary UV radiation.

In induction lamps, the gas discharge is induced into the gas by electromagnetic fields. With electronic ballast and some coils, the produced electromagnetic field is applied to the gas tube. The free electrons collide with mercury atoms and excite the outer electrons. When these excited atoms fall back from this higher energy state to a lower stable level, they emit ultraviolet radiation. The UV radiation created is converted to visible light as it passes through a phosphor coating on the inside surface of the tube

The established frequency for the applied electromagnetic field is 2,65 MHz, and with a consume of 55 W, the lamp insure a conversion of about 70 lm/W. .

What are the absurdities of actual explanation…

The name ,,induction lamp’’ does not fit with classical electromagnetic induction described in any low level physics manual.

If a metallic conductor is passed through a variable magnetic field an electrical current is "induced" in the wire. This transfer of energy is used by electrical motors and generators. There is no magnetic induction when an insulator or an ionic conductor is forced to pass into a variable magnetic field.

The vacuum technique is a well established procedure and during the gas evacuation, the remaining particles of gas inside tube are electrically neutrals. Metallic vapors, introduced in the gas tube are electrical neutral, too.

In this case, when such gas tube is introduced into a variable magnetic field there is no induced ,,electric current’’.

Therefore according to classical electromagnetism there is no explanation for the mechanism of this kind of lamp and of course there is a wrong usage of ,,induction’’ term.

Let’s analyze in detail what are the predictions of the quantum theory the most representative theory of physics about this subject.

More then a century ago, when the photoelectric effect was discovered some characteristics intrigued the scientists. Important for the present discussion:

It was found that energy of ejected electrons is independent on the intensity of light and is determined by the frequency of light.

To be more precisely, in case of a photoelectric effect a very faint beam of ultraviolet light is able to produce some photoelectrons but a intense beam of infrared light does not produce any photoelectron.

According to quantum theory, infrared or microwave electromagnetic waves are not able to produce an ionization.

Quantum theory permits to calculate the energy of a photon, depending on its frequency:

E=h with h=Planck's constant.

The energy of microwave is from 10^-6 up to 10^-3 eV and the power needed for molecule ionization is one mile up to million times higher than these, so an ionization process as result of a microwave beam is completely ruled out.

In this case what is the primary process which generates a flux of electrons into the gas tube?

Maybe is the time for the actual theoreticians to find how a spatial temporal distortion in an n-dimensional space combined with Heisenberg relations are able to produce a flux of electrons.

But this is not the entire story…..

It was already pointed out in another message

(http://www.elkadot.com/magneticity/Electric%20charge%20movement%20and%20gas%20tube%20discharge.htm)

the inconsistency of quantum theory for the explanation of discharge phenomena in gas tubes. At that time it was considered inconsistent the possibility for incident energy of approx 4,9 eV to generate a ultraviolet photon in case of mercury vapors and a energy of 18,4 eV to produce a visible photon in case of neon tube.

Now in case of ,,induction lamp’’ a more fabulous idea is accredited: a microwave photon is able to produce a ,,ultraviolet photon’’.

The stories of Munchausen’s baron are more credible then actual explanation for induction lamp mechanism.

The proposed explanation in the book….