Advertisements
Advertisements
Question
Why does thermionic emission not take place in non-conductors?
Advertisements
Solution
For thermionic emission, material should have low work function and large number of free electrons. But nonconductor does not have free electrons and they have higher work function. So, thermionic emission does not takes place in non-conductors.
APPEARS IN
RELATED QUESTIONS
Find the maximum frequency of X-rays produced by 30 kV electrons.
Find the (a) maximum frequency and (b) minimum wavelength of X-rays produced by 30 kV electrons.
Quarks inside protons and neutrons are thought to carry fractional charges [(+2/3)e; (–1/3)e]. Why do they not show up in Millikan’s oil-drop experiment?
Why should gases be insulators at ordinary pressures and start conducting at very low pressures?
How will the thermionic current vary if the filament current is increased?
Would you prefer a material with a high melting point or a low melting point to be used as a cathode in a diode?
Would you prefer a material with a high work-function or a low work-function to be used as a cathode in a diode?
Let i0 be the thermionic current from a metal surface when the absolute temperature of the surface is T0. The temperature is slowly increased and the thermionic current is measured as a function of temperature. Which of the following plots may represent the variation in (i/i0) against (T/T0)?

The wavelength λe of an electron and λp of a photon of same energy E are related by ______.
If a light of wavelength 330 nm is incident on a metal with work function 3.55 eV, the electrons are emitted. Then the wavelength of the wave associated with the emitted electron is (Take h = 6.6 × 10–34 Js)
Emission of electrons by the absorption of heat energy is called ____________ emission.
Why do metals have a large number of free electrons?
Define the work function of a metal. Give its unit.
In which case is electron emission from a metal not known?
Photoelectric emission is observed from a metallic surface for frequencies ν1 and ν2 of the incident light (ν1 > ν2). If the maximum value of kinetic energy of the photoelectrons emitted in the two cases are in the ration 1 : n then the threshold frequency of the metallic surface is ______.
Give an example each of a metal from which photoelectric emission takes place when irradiated by
- UV light
- visible light.
