On a source of outgoing electrons in a pulsed gas discharge

It has been shown that explosive electron emission is delayed by 10 −10 s with respect to field emission in a pulsed subnanosecond discharge in atmospheric air. A pulse of outgoing electrons is observed for approximately the same time in air. Correspondingly, field emission is a source of these electrons. Owing to the sharp nonlinearity of the emission current density as a function of the electric field j(E) , the real duration of the current pulse of the outgoing electrons is equal to about 10 −11 s.