Engineering Physics Annotation << Back A HIGH-CURRENT ELECTRON EMISSION WITH DIFFUSE ATTACHMENT TO CATHODE IN A LOW-POWER DISCHARGE WITH PLASMA INJECTION V.L. BYCHKOV, K.I. DESHKO, V.A. CHERNIKOV Experimental results are presented on current commutation in a low-power gas discharge with external plasma injection. Possibility of a high-current (> 20 A cm–2) thermionic electron emission with diffuse attachment to an integrally-cold cathode is shown in case of metallic vapor with a high boiling point presence in the injected plasma fl ow. The instability of such emission is revealed. It is shown that evolution of instability leads to cathode spot ignition as a result of local explosive heating on cathode surface; conditions of instability evolution are determined. Key words: gas discharge, plasma injection, electron emission, cathode spot. DOI: 10.25791/infizik.03.2019.560 Contacts: E-mail: bychvl@gmail.com, E-mail: kir.deshko@gmail.com, E-mail: vachernikov@rambler.ru Pp. 03-08.