Thermal positive ion production from KCl impinging upon Re: Comparison between theory and experiment

Abstract

On the basis of our theory on thermal ionization, the emission current of K+ ions produced from KCl molecules incident upon a polycrystalline rhenium surface is calculated as a function of surface temperature in the range 950–2100 K. Theoretical results thus obtained are in good agreement with experimental data. This agreement gives an additional evidence for our previous conclusions that below ∼1800 K the work function of the surface is increased from 5.5 up to ∼7 eV mainly by adsorption of residual gas molecules at ∼2×10−7 Torr and also that the dissociation of incident sample molecules is greatly promoted by the work function increase.