DISCHARGE EFFECTS IN A CESIUM DIODE

Technical Report · Wed Aug 15 04:00:00 EDT 1962

OSTI ID:4769378

Coggins, J L

An investigation to determine the feasibility of neutralizing the electron space charge in Cs thermionic converters with ions formed by the collisions of electrons with neutral atoms is described, Equations were set up for the ion density and subsequent potential function for a lowpressure plasma in which the ions are formed by collisions of atoms with electrons emitted from the cathode with a Maxwellian velocity distribution, The special case of zero field at the emitter was taken to simplify the mathematics, Voltage versus current characteristics were determined experimentally for a Cs diode with a low work- function impregnated W emitter operating at 1410 deg K and an electrode spacing of 0.254 cm. Cs vapor pressures corresponding to condensation temperatures of 30, 100, and 155 deg C were used. The results indicate that higher Cs pressures, leading to more dense plasmas and successive collisions between electrons and excited atoms, are needed for complete space-charge neutralization. (auth)

• Research Organization: Massachusetts Inst. of Tech., Cambridge. Research Lab. of Electronics
• NSA Number: NSA-17-000953
• OSTI ID: 4769378
• Report Number(s): ASD-TDR-62-412
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

ATOMS
CATHODES
CESIUM
COLLISIONS
CONVERSION
DENSITY
DIODES
DISTRIBUTION
ELECTRIC CHARGES
ELECTRIC DISCHARGES
ELECTRIC POTENTIAL
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
ELECTRONS
EMISSION
EQUATIONS
INTERACTIONS
IONS
MATHEMATICS
MAXWELL DISTRIBUTION
NESDPS Office of Nuclear Energy Space and Defense Power Systems
PARTICLE SOURCES
PHYSICS
PLASMA
PRESSURE
SEMICONDUCTORS
SOLIDS
THERMIONICS
THERMODYNAMICS
VELOCITY