The Energy Spectra of Secondary Electrons from Copper and Silver.

A simple analyser employing an electric field between parallel planes has been designed and found satisfactory for obtaining the energy spectra of secondary electrons. An automatic system has recorded energy spectra from evaporated copper and silver targets. These curves have exhibited two principal maxima at energies linearly dependent upon the primary voltage. The interpretation is that in each of two successive interaction processes, primary electrons have lost the same fraction (characteristic of the metal) of their effective energy. Separation of the spectra into two components has provided a graph of probability of energy transfer from primary to secondary. [...