Why Doesn't My Homemade Nitrogen Tube Light Up in the Microwave?

[cragar]

I remember seeing a physicist on TV putting an argon or nitrogen sealed glass tube in a microwave and when he turned it on the tube started flashing an emitting visible light,
So how come when i put a sealed glass jar that i glued a lexan lid on in the microwave it does not emit light , i realize that the air in the jar is a mixture of gases , there is probably something fundamental i am missing .

 

[cjameshuff]

I remember seeing a physicist on TV putting an argon or nitrogen sealed glass tube in a microwave and when he turned it on the tube started flashing an emitting visible light,
So how come when i put a sealed glass jar that i glued a lexan lid on in the microwave it does not emit light , i realize that the air in the jar is a mixture of gases , there is probably something fundamental i am missing .

The factor you're missing is pressure:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paschen's_law

 

[turbo]

The tubes are filled with low-pressure argon or neon in an otherwise evacuated tube.

 

[cragar]

Thanks for the answers ,
so if i evacuated some of the air in the tube , and reduced the pressure would it emit light .