Kinetic theory approach for energy exchange processes in high-current electron emission

The influence of the finite velocity of energy relaxation of nonequilibrium holes on the heat instability development leading to a vacuum breakdown have been investigated. For this purpose, a new more complete self-consistent approach has been proposed and developed which allows a description of field electron emission and energy exchange processes in high-current electron emission. It has been shown that taking into account the spatial distribution of the energy dissipation due to Nottingham´s effect and the vacant states induced by the emission process lead to the effectiveness decreasing of the Nottingham´s heating at the early stages of a cathode initiation of a vacuum breakdown