The design of the fluorescent lamp is really quite simple.

  This design remains the same whether the

form is a straight tube, circular, or convoluted as in compact fixtures.  A fluorescent tube is
constructed in its most simple form with a filament similar to an incandescent light bulb at either end,
and a coating of a phosphorescent material on the inside of the glass envelope.  The tube itself vacuum
evacuated, a small amount of vaporized mercury is added to the tube, , and then it is injected with a
small quantity of argon gas.

When a current is applied to the filaments at both ends of the tube, the filaments become what are
called “cathodes”, meaning that they provide an intense source of positively charged electrons.  This
energizes the argon gas to a 'plasma state'  which "excites" the metallic mercury.  At this point, the
flooding of positive electrons cause the electrons in the shell of the mercury atoms to “jump” (move
outward) from a neutral or “ground state” and become “excited”.  This pushes electrons outward,
filling an “empty” orbital ring with an new electron.  The atom then releases its excess electron as the
atom attempts to return to its neutral state, and through this process the mercury gas becomes
“energized”, driving the excess energy off in the form of photons that lie within the ultraviolet range. 
The external ballast device serves to limit the amount of current which is delivered to the plasma in
this process, maintaining a consistent and uniform source of electrical flow to the cathodes.

This same atom which has just released a photon then picks up another from the cathode flow,
continuously repeating the process for as long as the cathode is attached to a source of current.  The
argon gas (known as a ‘noble’ gas) imparts nothing to the spectral/photon process, as it is neutral from
the electron shell perspective, all of it’s eight orbits filled already with electrons.  Argon is added solely
as a stable medium for the plasma reaction to occur.  This is important as the emitted photons must
have a special wavelength to make the tube function properly.  These special wavelengths are know as
spectral lines.

In the case of mercury, this element emits a very strong line at 2537 Angstroms, well into the far
ultraviolet range (UVC).  By its own properties, this wavelength is dangerous as none of it ever
penetrates to the earth, and life is not prepared to deal with these wavelengths of radiation.  But this
frequency is helpful in two ways. If no phosphors were added to the tube, this lamp would be the kind
that is found in UV sterilizing equipment (such as in barber shops for combs and scissors, and in
bowling alleys for shoes), as it will kill all living organisms exposed to it after a time.  But this is not the
case in consumer fluorescent tubes.  This spectral line of photons strike a suitably doped (meaning
selected impurities are added) calcium halophosphate coating inside the tube itself, which causes two
things to happen.  First, the coating filters out the dangerous UVC radiation, and then converts the
energy to a different spectral range, mostly that of the visible spectrum.

Depending on the blend of doping materials combined with the calcium halophosphate phosphor, the
output range of the tube will vary, and thus a fluorescent device can be custom tailored to produce
certain ranges or specifications of light output.  This is how various manufacturers produce lighting
devices which have different output characteristics.  While there are several thousand doping
materials which have the potential to change the spectral output of a lamp, only a hundred or so
produce useable wavelengths.  Characteristics and properties of pertinent lighting devices may be
found in the Fluorescent Tubes section.