365 Nm UV Lamp
Definition
A long-wave ultraviolet lamp used to examine substrate fluorescence, security thread UV response, and UV-reactive features on banknotes; genuine cotton-linen substrate appears dark while wood-pulp paper fluoresces blue-white.
- Wavelength
- 365 nm, long-wave ultraviolet
- Use
- Substrate fluorescence and UV security features
- Genuine response
- Cotton-linen substrate appears dark
- Counterfeit indicator
- Wood-pulp paper fluoresces blue-white
Common questions
Why does genuine banknote paper stay dark under this UV lamp while fakes glow?+
Genuine notes use cotton-linen fibre without optical brighteners, which does not fluoresce, whereas common wood-pulp paper contains brighteners and impurities that fluoresce blue-white under long-wave UV light.
Is a 365 nm lamp check enough on its own to confirm a note is genuine?+
No, it is a fast screening step; a dark substrate result should be corroborated with other features such as intaglio feel, the security thread, and the watermark before reaching a final determination.
Related terms
- 3D Surface Profilometry
- A non-contact optical measurement technique used to quantify the topographic height (Z-height) of intaglio ink ridges; genuine MGNS intaglio measures 15-40 micrometres;...
- Bleached-Genuine Counterfeit
- A counterfeit produced by chemically removing the printed design from a genuine lower-denomination note and reprinting it as a higher denomination; passes...
- Counterfeit Currency Database (CCD)
- The US Secret Service's classification registry of counterfeit production signatures, assigning class codes to each distinct printing-process and denomination combination detected in...
- CVPC (Currency Verification Processing Centre)
- An RBI-designated facility in India where banks submit suspect notes for initial authentication and classification before forensic referral.
- FTIR Spectroscopy (Fourier Transform Infrared)
- A non-destructive analytical technique that measures infrared absorption as a function of wavenumber, producing a spectrum diagnostic of the chemical functional groups...
- Iodine-Starch Test
- The chemical basis of the counterfeit-detector pen: iodine reacts with starch in wood-pulp paper to form a dark blue-black complex, while genuine...
- Raman Spectroscopy
- A non-destructive laser-based technique sensitive to molecular vibration modes in pigments; complements FTIR by characterising pigment molecular structure rather than bulk ink...
- SEM-EDX (Scanning Electron Microscopy with Energy-Dispersive X-Ray Analysis)
- A technique combining high-resolution surface imaging with elemental composition analysis; used to compare metallic-flake elemental ratios in OVI ink and to measure...
- Supernote
- A high-quality counterfeit capable of passing casual field examination; originally applied to US $100 counterfeits attributed to state-sponsored production with genuine cotton-linen...