Almost 90 years have passed since the invention of the thermionic electron valve in 1904 by Sir John Ambrose Fleming. During this period, the development of electron tubes created the so called Electroni Age. Electron tubes played the leading role in the electronic equipments until the middle of the 1950s when solid state devices such as transistors and integrated circuits replaced electron tubes in various applications and accelerated the electronic age.
The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)
This book introduces readers to the physics governing electron emission under high voltages and temperatures, and highlights recent modeling and numerical developments for describing these phenomena. It begins with a brief introduction, presenting several applications that have driven electron emission research in the last few decades. The authors summarize the most relevant theories including the physics of thermo-field electron emission and the main characteristic parameters. Based on these theories, they subsequently describe numerical multi-physics models and discuss the main findings on the effect of space charges, emitter geometry, pulse duration, etc. Beyond the well-known photoelectric effect, the book reviews recent advanced theories on photon-metal interaction. Distinct phenomena occur when picosecond and femtosecond lasers are used to irradiate a surface. Their consequences on metal electron dynamics and heating are presented and discussed, leading to various emission regimes – in and out of equilibrium. In closing, the book reviews the effects of electron emission on high-voltage operation in vacuum, especially breakdown and conditioning, as the most common examples. The book offers a uniquely valuable resource for graduate and PhD students whose work involves electron emission, high-voltage holding, laser irradiation of surfaces, vacuum or discharge breakdown, but also for academic researchers and professionals in the field of accelerators and solid state physics with an interest in this highly topical area.
