Patent ID: 7256549

Claim:
An arc discharge lamp, comprising: an assembly enclosing an ionizable medium; a first, second, and third electrodes sealed within the assembly, the first electrode separated from the second electrode by a first distance, the first electrode separated from the third electrode by a second distance less than the first distance; a ballast circuit configured to use the first electrode as an anode and the third anode as a cathode to initiate a first arc at a first voltage, and configured to use the first electrode as a cathode and the second electrode as an anode to initiate a second arc with a second voltage after the first arc is initiated, wherein the second voltage is less than 1000 volts and the first voltage is less than 10,000 volts; and a temperature sensor thermally coupled to the first electrode and wherein the second voltage is not applied until the temperature sensor detects a predetermined temperature of the first electrode.