Patent ID: 7348731

Claim:
A high-pressure discharge lamp with an asymmetrical discharge space and/or an asymmetrical discharge vessel, wherein a bottom surface that is lowermost in an operational position of the lamp has a raised central first portion which is surrounded by a relatively lowered second portion, whereby the discharge space has a volume which is reduced by a given first factor in comparison with the volume of the discharge space of known mercury-containing discharge lamps, and wherein an obscuration of portions of a luminous discharge arc and/or of portions of electrodes by light-generating substances not evaporated in an operational state is prevented in that a quantity of the light-generating substances in the discharge space is reduced by a second factor which is determined in dependence on a value of the first factor and on a distance, defined by the asymmetry, of the electrodes to the bottom surface that is lowermost in the operational position of the lamp, and wherein the volume of the discharge space is approximately 18 μl.