Picking the Proper Bulb for My DIY Spectrometer

That certainly can be the case, as even the graph that you linked resembles the graph I linked for a Xenon bulb. Is there a way I can tell if I can getting a pure Xenon bulb? It doesn't seem to be something that is advertised by manufacturers. The spectra I posted while it obviously isn't a pure xenon bulb doesn't have any xenon absorption lines at all much less layered with mercury lines.

"An example is "XBO lamp", which is an OSRAM trade name for pure xenon short-arc lamp.^[1]"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qf5LFl7Lqqg

Edmund Optics sells Xenon spectrum lamps and power supplies:

http://www.edmundoptics.com/testing-detection/spectroscopy/spectrum-analysis-power-supply-tubes/2500/

I am wondering, though, why you want a xenon lamp. Is it for calibrating your spectrometer? The mercury-xenon lamp you got can be used for that.

I've used spectroradiometers at work for a number of years and I've always used a mercury-argon calibration source, since it provides a broad range of spectral lines throughout the near UV to the near IR. There are a number of companies that sell mercury-argon spectral calibration lamps (Newport and Ocean Optics are 2 that come to mind right away.)

On the other hand, if you're looking at absorption spectra what you really want is a continuous black body spectrum with NO spectral lines. That way, if you see dark spectral lines, the lines are from the test item, not the lamp.

I can calibrate using this mercury vapor bulb now that I know what it is. I wanted to use a xenon bulb as it has a consistent spectrum until it gets fairly deep into the infrared and this will hopefully allow me to see absorption lines. Is there bulb better suited for this or puts out a more even spectrum?

Here's the spectrum for Ocean Optics' Hg1 mercury-argon calibration lamp. Other Hg-A lamps should be similar. The lamp produces spectral lines from the near UV (350 nm) to the near IR (1000 nm).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gas-discharge_lamp

Here is a source of gas discharge tubes:

Gas Discharge Tubes at Amazon.com

Would those gas discharge tubes give out the same spectra as a Xenon arc bulb? I would think that at the very least they would be significantly dimmer. I have been looking through my options in getting a hold of a xenon arc bulb and supply and am finding that it will be really hard to find a cost effective way of obtaining a setup for one (bulb, housing, igniter, and supply). The lowest power xenon arc bulb I can find is around 75w which is more than enough for what I need.
Thus far from what I see Oriel is a huge producer of these but even used I am looking at an $800 setup for just a full spectrum light. Does anyone know of a much smaller setup for around $300?