Observation of multiple nearly monoenergetic electron production by heated pyroelectric crystals in ambient gas

Abstract

Multiple production of nearly monoenergetic electrons at a given pyroelectric crystal surface charge density is observed on cooling or heating the crystal in ambient gas. Typically, the +z base of a 5 mm diam×5 mm crystal of LiNbO3 is heated to 100 °C and then let cool to 23 °C in dry N2 at 10−2–10−6 Torr. The electron spectrum consists of a series of peaks equally spaced in energy and having decreasing intensity with order superimposed on a continuously decreasing background. The higher-order peaks and the high-energy continuum are due to two or more electrons hitting the surface barrier detector within its resolving time (∼1 μs).