It is shown that the currently advertised 'new form of discharge' (open discharge) — photoemission with virtually noneroding cathode and the 'anomalously high' (near unity) energy efficiency of electron beam (EB) formation --- cannot in fact be realized. In reality, such a discharge fits well into the familiar pattern of glow discharges controlled by heavy particle emission. Thus, in known EB sources, the energy efficiency of up to ≈0,8 is ensured by fast atoms from ion charge exchange in strong discharge fields. However, charge multiplication and the cathode-directed ion drift are both proportional to the flow of cathode electrons (including photoemitted ones), implying that the energy efficiency cannot increase. It is incorrect efficiency measurement methodology, which gives a result of about unity efficiency.

Keywords: open discharge, electron emission from the cathode, electron beams in discharge PACS: 52.80.Tn DOI: 10.3367/UFNe.2017.10.038360 URL: https://ufn.ru/en/articles/2018/12/e/ 000459955400005 2-s2.0-85063509925 2018PhyU...61.1234S Citation: Sorokin A R "A legend about the photoemission discharge" Phys. Usp. 61 1234–1240 (2018) BibTexBibNote ® (generic)BibNote ® (RIS)MedlineRefWorks Received: 7th, September 2017, revised: 24th, January 2018, accepted: 26th, October 2017 Оригинал: Сорокин А Р «Легенда о фотоэмиссионном разряде» УФН 188 1354–1360 (2018); DOI: 10.3367/UFNr.2017.10.038360