Electron Emission Spectra Produced by Exploding-Wire Photon Sources

Total yeilds and average energies were measured for the low-energy electron spectra emitted from gold, silver, aluminum and carbon by exploding-wire photon irradiation. A simple linear times exponential energy distribution function was used to fit the retarding potential curves from vacuum photoemission diodes. The yield was in the vicinity of 1014 electron/cal; the average-electron energy in the range of 1 keV. A variation of total yield was found depending on the surface treatment prior to irradiation. As little as 100 Ã… of carbon deposited on gold produced a factor of 3 drop in yield.