Thomson discovered the electron using this concept in 1897 after conducting experiments with cathode rays and studying their uses. Electron guns are a very versatile electrical component. They are essential to a number of devices, from 3D printers and welders to the large synchrotron at the Diamond Light Source in the UK and the electric systems of Kimball Physics in the US
So how they work
It’s all down to kinetic energy and electrical currents. When installed in an electrical device’s vacuum tube, the gun turns electrons and ions into usable beams of energy by releasing them from their metal source (cathode). This process is known as thermionic emission. Inside the gun there is a small filament that heats the cathode, which makes it release a stream of electrons. The electrons acceleraterapidly and the resulting beam is pulled toward the neighbouring anode, which is positively charged. There are small holes in the anode which allow some electrons to pass through, so a concentrated beam then continues onward within the device
There are two main types of electron gun: thermionic and field emission. The former are much more common and work at a high temperature. Field emissions have less heat but a higher brightness and electric field. Additionally flood guns’ are used to scatter the beam over a wider area.
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