thermionics
/ˌθɜrmiˈɑnɪks/
noun
- The branch of physics or electronics that deals with the emission of electrons from heated materials, especially metals.
- Thermionics is important for designing certain types of electron guns and sensors.
- The engineer specialized in thermionics to improve the efficiency of high-power amplifiers.
- In physics class, we studied thermionics to understand how old vacuum tubes worked.