High Efficiency Gas Filled Lamp

The invention relates to a gas filled lamp and to a method of operating the same, the gas filled lamp (10) including a tube (12) filled with a gas or combination of gases, the tube comprising an anode (14); and a cathode (16, 18) spaced apart from the anode wherein an electric field can be applied across the anode and the cathode so as to cause an electron to move from the cathode to the anode. The gas filled lamp further includes magnetising means (20, 22) to provide a magnetic field across the tube, the direction of the magnetic field being substantially perpendicular to the direction of the electric field, wherein the ratio between the electric and magnetic fields is substantially predetermined depending upon the gas or combination of gases within the tube. r-