electron gun

American  

noun

Electronics, Television.

1. a device consisting of the cathode ray tube, which emits electrons, and a surrounding electrostatic or electromagnetic apparatus, which controls, focuses, and accelerates the stream of electrons electron beam.

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electron gun British  

noun

1. a heated cathode with an associated system of electrodes and coils for producing and focusing a beam of electrons, used esp in cathode-ray tubes

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electron gun Scientific  

1. The part of a cathode-ray tube that emits a narrow beam of electrons, consisting of a cathode, control grids, and usually a heater. Electrons are emitted from the cathode, which is typically heated by electric current to give the electrons escape energy. The electrons are then focused into a beam by the electric fields of the control grids.

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Etymology

Origin of electron gun

First recorded in 1920–25

Example Sentences

The electron gun can weaken, giving screens a dim, yellowish tinge.

From The Verge • Feb. 6, 2018

Last October, physicists fired electrons from an electron gun through the spectrometer.

From Science Magazine • Jun. 29, 2017

All of them accelerate electrons, making them different versions of the electron gun.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

One use of such a field is to produce uniform acceleration of charges between the plates, such as in the electron gun of a TV tube.

From Textbooks • Aug. 12, 2015

At the narrow rear end of the tube is a single electron gun that shoots a slender beam of electrons through the wire grid at the viewing screen.

From Time Magazine Archive