A multi-cathode counter in a single-electron counting mode

We describe the operation of the multi-cathode counter developed by us. It has an aluminum alloy cathode and operates in single-electron counting mode. The calibration results are given. The gas gain was found from the calibration spectra. The electric fields and the operation of this detector in two configurations are described. Our original idea was to measure the effect of electrons emitted from the cathode surface according to the difference in count rates in two configurations. We found the optimal potential difference between the first and second cathodes in the two configurations using the calibration measurements of the count rates. In addition, the advantage of using a multi-cathode counter for measuring the intensity of single-electron emission from a metal is explained.