electron beam: Quick Facts

Written and fact-checked by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Photos

Cutaway diagram of a gyrotron showing labeled components including the electron gun, resonant cavity, magnetic field coils, vessel, and beam collector, with arrows indicating electron and microwave beam paths.

Diagram of a traveling-wave tube showing labeled components including the electron-emitting cathode, electron gun, focus electrode, anode, electron beam, RF input and output, helix, magnetic field, and multistage depressed collector.

See All Images →

Topics

beam voltage lepton muon neutrino electron tau

Key People

default image

Walter M. Elsasser

American physicist

Italian-born physicist Dr. Enrico Fermi draws a diagram at a blackboard with mathematical equations. circa 1950.

Physics and Natural Law