phototube

[foh-tuh-toob, -tyoob]

noun

Electronics.

1. an electron tube with a photosensitive cathode, used like a photocell.

phototube

/ ˈfəʊtəʊˌtjuːb /

noun

1. a type of photocell in which radiation falling on a photocathode causes electrons to flow to an anode and thus produce an electric current

Word History and Origins

Origin of phototube¹

First recorded in 1925–30; photo- + tube

Example Sentences

“This little ‘coincidence’ will count as a reactor neutrino signal,” says particle physicist Juan Pedro Ochoa-Ricoux of the University of California, Irvine, who co-leads one of the two phototube systems for JUNO.

Read more on Scientific American