Circuit arrangement and method for the operation of a high-pressure gas discharge lamp

A method of operating a high-pressure gas discharge lamp comprising the acts of:

• providing a voltage supply unit having a first terminal, a second terminal and a third terminal;
• connecting the high-pressure gas discharge lamp between the first terminal and the second terminal;
• in a steady-state mode, supplying an operating voltage to the high-pressure gas discharge lamp by the voltage supply unit via a lamp-circuit circuit arrangement in which the high-pressure gas discharge lamp is connected in series with a secondary winding of a transformer;
• connecting a capacitor to the voltage supply unit between the first terminal and third terminal, wherein the capacitor is connected in parallel with a primary winding of the transformer via a switching element to form an igniting-circuit circuit arrangement;
• directly connecting the primary winding to the secondary winding;
• igniting the high-pressure gas discharge lamp by inducing a high-voltage pulse in the secondary winding by charging the capacitor;
• and
• connecting an inductor into the lamp-circuit circuit arrangement to reduce a transient pulse that places a load on the voltage supply unit, wherein the inductor is connected to a side of the high-pressure gas discharge lamp opposite to the secondary winding for being connected in series with the secondary winding of the transformer and with the high-pressure gas discharge lamp, and wherein the inductor has an inductance equal to or less than 20 μH, and connecting a zener diode or a further capacitor between the first terminal and the second terminal, wherein the capacitor has a capacitance value from 10−12 F to 10−9 F.