Patent ID: 8154182

Claim:
A light source apparatus including a high pressure discharge lamp in which a pair of electrodes are opposed each other, at least mercury and a starting gas are sealed in a discharge bulb of an arc tube, a pair of electrode seal portions sealing each of the electrodes are formed by airtightly sealing portions from the discharge bulb to both ends of the arc tube, and connected to a lighting circuit by way of electrode leads protruding from the end faces of the respective electrode seal portions; a concave reflector in which the lamp is attached by being inserted at one of the electrode seal portions through a bottom hole opened in the bottom of the reflector; and a UV-enhancer that radiates a UV-light to the discharge bulb for enhancing the starting performance of the lamp upon starting lighting, wherein the UV-enhancer has a discharge tube which is connected in parallel with the lamp to the lighting circuit for applying a starting voltage between the electrodes upon starting lighting of the lamp and which generates a UV-light by application of the starting voltage between an external electrode and an internal electrode, the external electrode of the discharge tube is formed of a metal holder that holds the outer periphery of the discharge tube so as to oppose the end face of one of the electrode seal portions and secures the same to the electrode lead protruding from the end face thereof, and the holder includes a holder body that holds the outer periphery while exposing the surface of the outer periphery opposing the end face of one of the electrode seal portions and a terminal for securing and electrically connecting the holder to the electrode lead.