Compact electrodeless low-pressure gas discharge lamp life

The invention relates to a compact, electrodeless, low pressure gas discharge lamp which is characterised by a long shelf life and high light efficiency and light density. The inventive gas discharge lamp comprises a ball-shaped, ring-shaped, pear-shaped or ellipsoidal glass body which is used as a gas discharge receptacle, on the inner gas surface of which a layer containing at least two luminous substances is applied. The side of the glass bulb facing the gas discharge and/or the layer containing luminous matter and exposed to the gas discharge in the discharge receptacle are coated with a chemically, largely inert protective layer consisting of an oxide. The electrical energy is introduced into the discharge receptacle in an inductive manner using a ring-shaped closed ferrite core, preferably MnZn soft ferrite, which is partially located inside the discharge receptacle and is provided with a primary winding which is connected to an RF source in the frequency region of between 100 kHz and 500 kHz by means of a resonant LC coupling circuit. Part of the ring-shaped ferrite core is introduced into the discharge receptacle by means of a vacuum-tight passage which is arranged in the glass body. The part of the ferrite core, the primary winding and the coupled RF source in the form of an electronic push-pull circuit are arranged in the base of the lamp. The luminous substances used are derived from, for example, the compounds gadolinium-magnesium pentaborate silicate, alkaline earth aluminate, cerium-magnesium aluminate et al., and are activated by ions of rare earth elements and/or manganese, lead, antimony, tin and bismuth. The inventive compact, electrodeless, low pressure gas discharge lamp is used as a light source for general and communal lighting, inside and outside, in the fields of medicine and cosmetics.