The electronic flash is a device that produces a short, intense burst of light. The light pulse from an electronic flash can be used to "stop the motion" of a fast-moving object. The stroboscopic light is an electronic flash that produces a sequence of light pulses. The stroboscopic light can show a sequence of events, such as an insect flapping its wings, allowing the details of the motion to be studied.

Harold E. Edgerton's original electronic flash used a mercury-arc lamp. A large electric current passing through the mercury gas emitted a flash of light. However, the design quickly evolved as he sought to achieve a brighter flash of shorter duration, the modern electronic flash. This design consists of a gas discharge tube, a sealed cylindrical glass tube filled with inert gases. Electrical contacts at both ends of the tube are connected to a capacitor, a device that can store a large amount of electric charge. A battery or other electric power source is used to charge the capacitor. A high voltage is applied to the electrical contacts, ionizing the gas in the tube. These ions form a conductive path, and the capacitor releases its energy as an electric current through the tube, like a miniature lightning bolt. The flash ceases when the capacitor has used all of its stored energy. This discharge is very rapid, sometimes faster than one-millionth of a second. Once the current ceases to flow, the ions recombine with electrons that have been stripped off by the initial high voltage, and the flash is ready for use again. The choice of gas determines the color of the flash. Argon produces a bluish light, krypton reddish-green, and xenon a white flash resembling sunlight, making xenon ideal for photography. . .

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