Ectons are explosive

electron The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...

emissions observed as individual packets or avalanches of electrons, occurring as microexplosions at the

cathode A cathode is the electrode from which a conventional current leaves a polarized electrical device such as a lead-acid battery. This definition can be recalled by using the mnemonic ''CCD'' for ''Cathode Current Departs''. Conventional curren ...

. The electron current in an ecton starts flowing as a result of overheating of the metal cathode because of the high energy density (10⁴Jg⁻¹), and stops when the emission zone cools off. Ectons occur in plasma-involving phenomena, such as: electrical discharges in

vacuum A vacuum (: vacuums or vacua) is space devoid of matter. The word is derived from the Latin adjective (neuter ) meaning "vacant" or "void". An approximation to such vacuum is a region with a gaseous pressure much less than atmospheric pressur ...

, cathode spots of vacuum arcs, volumetric discharges in gases, pseudosparks, coronas, unipolar arcs, etc. An ecton consists of individual portions of electrons (10¹¹– 10¹² particles). The formation time is of the order of nanoseconds.

References

Electron Plasma phenomena {{plasma-stub