Trace gas Trace gas The most abundant gases in the atmosphere are nitrogen (78.1%), oxygen (20.9%), and argon (0.934%). Combined, oxygen, argon, and nitrogen make up 99.934% of the gases in the atmosphere (not including water vapor). The other gases that are not part of the 99.934% of the atmosphere are called trace gases. The abundance of a trace gas can range from a few parts per trillion (ppt) by volume to several hundred parts per million by volume (ppmv). When a trace gas is added into the atmosphere, that process is called a "source". There are two possible types of sources
Noble gas as "neon lights". These lights are called after neon but often contain other gases and phosphors, which add various hues to the orange-red color of neon. Xenon is commonly used in xenon arc lamps which, due to their nearly continuous spectrum that resembles daylight, find application in film projectors and as automobile headlamps. The noble gases are used in excimer lasers, which are based on short-lived electronically excited molecules known as excimers. The excimers used for lasers may be noble gas dimers such as Ar, Kr or Xe, or more commonly, the noble gas is combined with a halogen in