H3 Technology

Traser® H3, the Science Behind the Technology

Mention radioactivity and the image of men in orange radiation protection suits holding geiger counters may come to mind. However, many industries are making good use of radioactivity and are in the process saving lifes in the medical arena and/or manufacturing products containing the mb-microtec illumination technology, powered by the decay of tritium.

What is Tritium?

Tritium is a heavy form (isotope) of hydrogen and for this reason behaves chemically exactly like it. Pure tritium therefore forms a gas T2 (like hydrogen forms H2). However, tritium is not stable but decays to the inert gas helium with a half-life of 12.3 years. This means that after this time half of any amount of tritium will have become helium. This transformation process is called a pure beta-decay. In this process no gamma radiation occurs and only a low energy electron is emitted.

Comparing Traser® H3 Illumination and Super Lumi Nova

If the luminous markings on a watch are reasonably sized and arranged, the readability in the dark is primarily determined by their total light emitted. In order to assess the relative merits, the light intensity of two dials with identical markings by traser on one and lumi nova on the other, were measured and compared. The results, with the light intensity expressed in the unit "nanocandela" (ncd) are given below.

The radio luminescent traser light remains constant, while the purely phosphorescent light of the luminova may initially be brighter but diminishes within minutes and becomes progressively less luminous.

The conclusions are plain: lumi nova provides limited night reading capability whereas mb-microtecs illumination provides safe, unfailing and unlimited night time readability.