halogen light bulb

A halogen lamp operating in its fitting with the protecting glass removed

A halogen lamp behind a round UV filter. A separate filter is included with some halogen light fixtures to remove UV light.

Xenon halogen lamp (105 W) for replacement purposes with an E27 screw base

A close-up of a halogen lamp

A halogen lamp, also known as a tungsten halogen, quartz-halogen or quartz iodine lamp, is an incandescent lamp consisting of a tungsten filament sealed into a compact transparent envelope that is filled with a mixture of an inert gas and a small amount of a halogen such as iodine or bromine. The combination of the halogen gas and the tungsten filament produces a halogen cycle chemical reaction which redeposits evaporated tungsten to the filament, increasing its life and maintaining the clarity of the envelope. This allows the filament to operate at a higher temperature than a standard incandescent lamp of similar power and operating life; this also produces light with higher luminous efficacy and color temperature. The small size of halogen lamps permits their use in compact optical systems for projectors and illumination. The small glass envelope may be enclosed in a much larger outer glass bulb for a bigger package; the outer jacket will be at a much lower and safer temperature, and it also protects the hot bulb from harmful contamination and makes the bulb mechanically more similar to a conventional lamp that it might replace.

Standard and halogen incandescent bulbs are much less efficient than LED and compact fluorescent lamps, and have been subjected to phase out in many jurisdictions because of this.