Producing visible light

Bioluminescence

plans or animals that have the ability to produce light (90% of all sea creatures)

natural light

produced by the sun and other stars

artificial light

produced by human technology

Incandescent light

Produced by a an object, usually metal that is heated to a very high temperature.

> Thin metal filament is healed by a current flowing through it

Fluorescent Light

Emitted by some substances when they are exposed to electromagnetic radiation

>Gas tube filled with a small amount of gas such as mercury vapour.

>Glass is coated in phosphor, the phosphor
glows when exposed to charged mercury particles

phosphorescent light

the ability to store the energy from a source of light and then emit it slowly over a long period. Phosphorescent materials glow in the dark for some time after being energized by light

Chemiluminescence

light produced from a chemical reaction without a rise in temperature. Because the chemical reaction gives off very little heat, the light produced is sometimes referred to as cool light.

Triboluminescence

Light produced by friction

Electric Discharge

light produced by an electric current passing through the air or another gas, such as neon

Light-Emitting Diode (LED)

the process of transforming electrical energy directly into light energy is called electroluminescence.

a led is an electroluminescent light source made out of a material called a semiconductor. Some semiconductors can be made to emit light when a small electric current is passed through them.

organic light-emitting display (OLED)

a light source made of several extremely thin layers of organic molecules (organic LEDs) that use an electric current to produce light. uses different organic molecules to emit coloured light.

Plasma Displays

In a plasma display, each colour is a tiny fluorescent light in which an electrical signal causes a gas, such as neon, to release ultraviolet radiation. The ultraviolet radiation is absorbed by phosphors that then radiate light in the visible spectrum.

Liquid Crystal Displays

A white light, such as a fluorescent light or light-emitting diode, shines behind a liquid crystal. A liquid crystal is a solid that can change the orientation of its molecules like a liquid, but only when electricity is applied.

The crystal can block light or transmit light depending on how much electricity is applied to it.