Photoemission from electrodes in cold cathode glow discharges

Measurements of the energy and angular distribution of electrons photoelectrically generated from clean gold surfaces by the radiation produced by DC glow discharges in helium and nitrogen have been made. A significant number of electrons from gold due to helium radiation have energies of up to 16 eV, whereas at helium pressures of the order of 10 −2 Torr up to 10% of the radiation has been shown to be produced by the HeII resonance line at 40·8 eV (304 Å). The significance of these results for low-pressure breakdown and for the interpretation of probe data is briefly discussed.