Note: Simple means for selective removal of the 365 nm line from the Hg spectrum using Dy

The emission spectrum of mercury has a notable line at about 365 nm under both low and medium-high pressure conditions. A simple filter based on a solution of dysprosium ions, Dy3+, is shown to be very useful for applications of Hg-light sources where this line is unwanted. The presented filter is cheap, robust, and stable towards degradation or bleaching - even under intense irradiation. The absorption spectrum for the Dy-filter is presented along with emission spectra from both low-pressure and high-pressure Hg-lamps to illustrate the utility of the technique under best-case and worst-case conditions. Attenuation of the 365 nm spectral line is almost total for the low-pressure source whereas for the high-pressure source the attenuation is about a factor of three. (C) 2011 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3639128]