Influence of space charge on thermionic emission velocities

Abstract
A measuring method and experimental results are given on the distribution of tangential velocity components of the electron emission from oxide cathodes under space-charge conditions. This distribution is found either to be of the Maxwellian type with a temperature below that one of the emitting cathode, or to consist of discrete velocity groups. Some of these groups include relatively large numbers of electrons with velocities far in excess of what could be expected from the temperature of the cathode. A possible explanation for this hovel phenomenon is proposed; the splitting up is derived quantitatively as an oscillation pheno­menon in the space charge. The frequency of the oscillation, as calculated from the properties of the space charge, is compared with the wave-length obtained from measurements of the distance of the velocity groups in the above angular distributions.

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