Abstract
The Boltzmann equation with the electric field and the collision terms is solved numerically for a spatially uniform, steady‐state, cesium thermionic plasma. The collision terms includes the elastic, inelastic, and electron‐electron Coulomb interactions. The Fokker‐Plank approximation of the Coulomb collision is used in the present study. The effects of non‐Saha population on the electron energy distribution and ionization rate near the emitter are discussed.