The role of ectons in the vacuum breakdown process

This paper presents a valuable addition to the kinetic theory regarding vacuum breakdown formation in a planar vacuum gap, specifically focusing on the cathode plasma emission known as the 'ectonic' (pulse-periodic quasi-particle)  nature. We investigate the contributions of ectonic and continuous types of emission from the cathode in terms of their effects on the mechanism of anomalous ion acceleration and cathode plasma expansion during a short-term switching of the emission current corresponding to the death and birth of ectons.