Characterization of the Far‐ultraviolet Spectrum of Pt/Cr‐Ne Hollow Cathode Lamps as Used on the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph on Board the Hubble Space Telescope

Abstract

We report laboratory measurements to characterize the spectral output of platinum/chromium hollow cathode lamps containing neon carrier gas. The spectra were recorded photographically with the National Institute of Standards and Technology 10.7 m normal-incidence spectrograph. The lamps investigated are equivalent to the lamps used for wavelength calibration of the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on board the Hubble Space Telescope. Wavelengths and intensities are given for more than 1200 lines in the wavelength range 1132-1827 A. The uncertainty of the measured wavelengths is estimated to be ± 0.0020 A. During an aging test mimicking the operations on board STIS one Pt/Cr-Ne lamp has passed 1000 hr of operation and is still in excellent working condition. This suggests that such a lamp can be operated for significantly more than 10 years and that it will not be a limiting factor for the useful lifetime of STIS.