Patent ID: 8138676

Claim:
A system for operating a fluorescent light, the system comprising: a fluorescent lamp comprising at least one electrode, the at least one electrode comprising at least one corresponding filament; a filament signal power supply connected to output a filament signal and to create a corresponding filament current through the at least one filament, the filament current having a filament frequency; and a plasma signal power supply connected to output a plasma signal and to create a corresponding plasma current flowing between the at least one electrode and a gas contained in the lamp, the plasma current having a plasma frequency; wherein the plasma frequency is greater than the filament frequency; and wherein the plasma signal power supply is configurable to control a power of the plasma current flowing between the at least one electrode and the gas such that the plasma current is confined to a confinement region extending from the at least one electrode, the confinement region having a length less than a length of the lamp.