Abstract: The material selected for the experiment is the high power pulsed Xenon lamp rare earth tungsten electrode after operation. Analysis of appearance, element distribution and elemental valence of rare earth tungsten electrode surface and etched at different depths. Experimental results show that: After the work, there were many cracks on the surface of the electrode and ablation pits. The elements on the surface were evenly distributed and consisted of three elements: W, La, and O.The electrode surface La exists in the form of La³⁺, W has two valence states W⁰ and W⁶⁺, where W⁶⁺ accounts for the majority; After the ion etching, the valencestate of La is still La³⁺, W still has two types of W⁰ and W⁶⁺, but W⁰ accounts for the most; After the etching depth increases, the valence state of tungsten becomes W⁰.