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.
The work function of caesium metal is 2.14 eV. When light of frequency 6 × 1014 Hz is incident on the metal surface, photoemission of electrons occurs. What is the
- maximum kinetic energy of the emitted electrons,
- Stopping potential, and
- maximum speed of the emitted photoelectrons?
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?
How will the thermionic current vary if the filament current is increased?
A diode value is connected to a battery and a load resistance. The filament is heated, so that a constant current is obtained in the circuit. As the cathode continuously emits electrons, does it become more and more positively charged?
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 anode of a thermionic diode is connected to the negative terminal of a battery and the cathode to its positive terminal.
The constant A in the Richardson−Dushman equation for tungsten is 60 × 104 A m−2K−2. The work function of tungsten is 4.5 eV. A tungsten cathode with a surface area 2.0 × 10−5 m2 is heated by a 24 W electric heater. In steady state, the heat radiated by the heater and the cathode equals the energy input by the heater and the temperature becomes constant. Assuming that the cathode radiates like a blackbody, calculate the saturation current due to thermions. Take Stefan's Constant = 6 × 10−8 W m−2 K−1. Assume that the thermions take only a small fraction of the heat supplied.
Define the term "Threshold frequency", in the context of photoelectric emission.
Answer the following question.
Define the term "Threshold frequency", in the context of photoelectric emission.
The wave associated with a moving particle of mass 3 × 10–6 g has the same wavelength as an electron moving with a velocity 6 × 106 ms–1. The velocity of the particle is
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)
Define the work function of a metal. Give its unit.
What do you mean by electron emission? Explain briefly various methods of electron emission.
A 150 W lamp emits light of the mean wavelength of 5500 Å. If the efficiency is 12%, find out the number of photons emitted by the lamp in one second.
In which case is electron emission from a metal not known?
Consider Figure for photoemission.

How would you reconcile with momentum conservation? Note light (photons) have momentum in a different direction than the emitted electrons.
