Mercury Line Filters
- Multi-Line Source: The mercury arc lamp emits light across a broad spectrum, containing multiple distinct high-intensity peaks (colors) ranging from UV to red.
- Selective Transmission: The bandpass filter acts as a precise optical gate. It is designed to transmit only a specific "band" of wavelengths in this specific example.
- Rejection: The filter blocks, reflects, or absorbs all other unwanted wavelengths (such as the purple/UV and blue lines shown in the diagram).
- Monochromatic Output: The result is a clean, single-wavelength (monochromatic) light source, converting the lamp's noisy spectrum into a precise tool often used for calibration or fluorescence microscopy.
