List of light sources

This is a list of sources of light, the visible part of the electromagnetic spectrum. Light sources produce photons from another energy source, such as heat, chemical reactions, or conversion of mass or a different frequency of electromagnetic energy, and include light bulbs and stars like the Sun. Reflectors (such as the moon, cat's eyes, and mirrors) do not actually produce the light that comes from them.

Incandescence

Incandescence is the emission of light from a hot body as a result of its temperature.

• Nernst lamp – Early form of lamp using an incandescent ceramic rod
• Incandescent light bulb – Electric light bulb with a resistively heated wire filament
• Volcanic eruption – Volcanic event

Combustion

Lamps

• Argand lamp – Oil lamp with a gravity feed
• Carbide lamp – Acetylene-burning lamps
• Coleman lantern – Series of pressure lamps
• Betty lamp – Oil or grease burning lamp originating from Europe
• Butter lamp – Lamps traditionally burning clarified yak butter
• Flash-lamp – Electrically ignited photographic light source
• Gas lighting – Types of lighting device which burn gas fuel
• Gas mantle – Device for generating bright light when heated by a flame
• Kerosene lamp – Type of lighting device that uses kerosene as a fuel
• Lantern – Portable lighting devices
• Limelight – Type of stage lighting once used in theatres and music halls
• Oil lamp – Lamp used for lighting by burning oil
• Tilley lamp – Pressurized kerosene lamps made by the Tilley company in the UK

Other

• Argon flash – Single-use source of very short and extremely bright flash of light - shock wave
• Brazier – Container used to burn charcoal or other solid fuel
• Bunsen burner – Laboratory device used to make fire from fuel and oxidizer gases
• Candle – Wick embedded in solid flammable substance
• Ember – Hot lump of slowly burning solid fuel
• Explosive – Substance that can explode
• Fire – Rapid and hot oxidation of a material
• Fire whirl – Whirlwind induced by and often composed of fire
• Fireworks – Low explosive pyrotechnic devices for entertainment
• Flamethrower – Ranged incendiary device
• Muzzle flash – Light created by gunfire
• Rubens tube – Physics apparatus for demonstrating acoustic standing waves in a tube
• Torch – Stick with a flaming end used as a source of light

Nuclear and high-energy particle

• Annihilation – Collision of a particle and its antiparticle
• Nuclear reaction – Transformation of a nuclide to another
  • Nuclear fission – Nuclear reaction splitting an atom into multiple parts
  • Nuclear fusion – Process of combining atomic nuclei
• Nuclear weapon
• Cherenkov radiation – Electromagnetic radiation from a charged particle in a medium
• Synchrotron radiation – Electromagnetic radiation
• Free-electron laser – Laser using electron beam in vacuum as gain medium
• Bremsstrahlung – Electromagnetic radiation due to deceleration of charged particles

Celestial and atmospheric

• Astronomical objects
  • Sun (sunlight, solar radiation)
    • Stellar corona – Outermost layer of a star's atmosphere
    • Photosphere – Star's outer shell from which light is radiated
  • Star (Starlight)
    • Nova / supernova / hypernova
    • Galaxy – Large gravitationally bound system of stars and interstellar matter
      • Milky Way – Galaxy containing the Solar System
    • Star cluster – Group of stars
  • Deep-sky object – Any astronomical object that is not an individual star
    • Quasar – Active galactic nucleus (AGN) containing a supermassive black hole
    • Accretion disk – Structure formed by diffuse material in orbital motion around a massive central body
    • Blazar – Very compact quasi-stellar radio source
    • Magnetar – Type of neutron star with a strong magnetic field
    • Pulsar – Rapidly rotating neutron star
• Atmospheric entry – Passage of an object through the gases of an atmosphere from outer space
  • Meteor
    • Meteor shower – Celestial event caused by streams of meteoroids entering Earth's atmosphere
  • Bolide – Extremely bright meteor
    • Earth-grazing fireball – Meteoroid that enters Earth's atmosphere and leaves again
• Lightning (Plasma)
  • Sprite (lightning) – Electrical discharges above thunderstorm clouds
  • Ball lightning – Atmospheric electrical phenomenon
  • Upper-atmospheric lightning – Rare transient luminous events that occur over tops of thunder storms
  • Dry lightning – Thunderstorm where little to no precipitation reaches the groundPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Aurora – Atmospheric effect caused by the solar wind

Luminescence

Luminescence is emission of light by a substance not resulting from heat.

Bioluminescence

Bioluminescence is light resulting from biochemical reaction by a living organism.

• Aequorea victoria – Species of hydrozoan
• Antarctic krill – Species of krill
• Biophoton – Photon from a biological source
• Cavitation bubbles made by mantis shrimps^{[citation needed]}
• Firefly – Family of beetles
• Foxfire – Fungal bioluminescence
• Glowworm – Bioluminescent insect larva
• Luciferase
• Panellus stipticus – Species of fungus
• Parchment worm – Genus of annelid worms
• Piddock – Family of bivalves
• Anglerfish – Bony fish with a natural lure

Electric discharge (electrical energy)

• • Arc lamp – Lamp that produces light by an electric arc
  • Flashtube – Incoherent light source
• • Lightning – Weather phenomenon involving electrostatic discharge
  • Electric spark – Abrupt electrical discharge through an ionised channel
• • Electrodeless lamp – Gas-discharge lamp using induction to excite the gas insidePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • Excimer lamp – Ultraviolet source based on spontaneous emission of excimer molecules
  • Fluorescent lamp – Lamp using fluorescence to produce light
    • Compact fluorescent lamp – Fluorescent lamps with folded tubes, often with built-in ballast
    • Tanning lamp – Device which produces ultraviolet light used for indoor tanning
    • Blacklight – Light fixture that emits long-wave ultraviolet light and very little visible light
    • Geissler tube – Early gas-discharge lamp
    • Moore tube – American electrical engineer and inventor (Obsolete)
    • Ruhmkorff lamp – Artificial light sources powered by ionized gas electric dischargePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets (Obsolete)
  • High-intensity discharge lamp – Type of electric lamp/bulb
    • Carbon arc lamp – Lamp that produces light by an electric arcPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
    • Ceramic metal-halide lamp
    • Hydrargyrum medium-arc iodide lamp – Stage lighting lamp
    • Mercury-vapor lamp – Light source using an electric arc through mercury vapor
    • Metal-halide lamp – Type of lamp
    • Sodium-vapor lamp – Type of electric gas-discharge lamp
    • Sulfur lamp – Lighting system
    • Xenon arc lamp – Gas discharge lamp that produces intense white light
  • Hollow-cathode lamp – Type of cold cathode lamp
  • Induction lighting – Gas-discharge lamp using induction to excite the gas insidePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
    • Sulfur lamp – Lighting system
  • Neon and argon lamps – Light source based on gas discharge
    • Dekatron – Obsolete electronic device for counting in decimal
    • Nixie tube – Electronic numeric display device
  • Plasma lamp – Type of electrodeless gas-discharge lamp
  • Xenon flash lamp – Incoherent light sourcePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets

Electrochemiluminescence

Electrochemiluminescence is light resulting from an electrochemical reaction.

Electroluminescence

Electroluminescence is light resulting from an electric current being passed through a substance.

• Light-emitting diode – Semiconductor and solid-state light source
  • Organic light-emitting diode – Diode that emits light from an organic compound
  • Polymer light-emitting diode – Diode that emits light from an organic compoundPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
  • AMOLED, Active matrix OLED - typical OLED addressing scheme for color OLED displays. (Display content) Has to be periodically refreshed to maintain picture, as opposed to for example Electronic paper – Display technology for use in mobile devices and televisions
• Light-emitting electrochemical cell
• Electroluminescent wire – Capacitive light source in the form of a wire
• Field-induced polymer electroluminescent – Electroluminescent light sourcePages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets
• Laser – Device which emits light via optical amplification
  • Chemical laser – Laser that obtains energy from chemical reactions
  • Dye laser – Equipment using an organic dye to emit coherent light
  • Free-electron laser – Laser using electron beam in vacuum as gain medium
  • Gas dynamic laser – Laser based on differences in relaxation velocities of molecular vibrational states
  • Gas laser – Laser in which electricity is discharged through gas
  • Ion laser – Type of gas laser
  • Laser diode – Semiconductor laser
    • Laser excited phosphor – Devices and processes that produce lightPages displaying short descriptions of redirect targets Long distance beam light
  • Metal-vapor laser
  • Nonlinear optics – Branch of physics
  • Quantum well laser – Laser diode in which the active region is so narrow that quantum confinement occurs
  • Quantum dot laser – Semiconductor laser that uses quantum dots as the active laser medium
  • Ruby laser – Solid-state laser
  • Solid-state laser – Laser which uses a solid gain medium

Mechanoluminescence

Mechanoluminescence is light resulting from a mechanical action on a solid.

• Triboluminescence, light generated when bonds in a material are broken when that material is scratched, crushed, or rubbed
• Fractoluminescence, light generated when bonds in certain crystals are broken by fractures
• Piezoluminescence, light produced by the action of pressure on certain solids
• Sonoluminescence, light resulting from imploding bubbles in a liquid when excited by sound

Photoluminescence

Photoluminescence is light resulting from absorption of photons.

• Fluorescence, the emission of light by a substance that has absorbed light or other electromagnetic radiation
• Phosphorescence, the delayed re-emission of light by substance that has absorbed it

Radioluminescence

Radioluminescence is light resulting from bombardment by ionizing radiation.

• Radium dial
• Tritium radioluminescence

Other

• Cathodoluminescence – Photon emission under the impact of an electron beam
• Chemiluminescence – Emission of light as a result of a chemical reaction
• Crystalloluminescence – Luminescence produced from crystallization
• Thermoluminescence – Light from the re-emission of absorbed energy when a substance is heated

See also

• List of reflected light sources
• Luminous efficacy
• Photometry (optics)