up to about 10,000 pulses per second, but
some miniature 2" tubes can be driven up
to 200,000 pulses per second. The main
factor that ultimately limits the modulation
speed is the response time of the phosphor
used inside the lamp. Most visible
phosphors will not allow pulsing much
faster than about 500,000 pulses per
second. The visible light emitted by the
typical "cool white" lamp is also not ideal
when used with a silicon photodiode.
However, some special infrared light
emitting phosphors could be used to
increase the relative power output from a
fluorescent lamp, which may also produce
faster response times. (see Figure 3g.)