secondary emission

noun

1. the emission of electrons (secondary electrons) from a material that is bombarded with electrons or ions.

noun

1. physics the emission of electrons (secondary electrons) from a solid as a result of bombardment with a beam of electrons, ions, or metastable atoms: used in electron multipliers

1. The emission of electrons or ions from a material, caused by collisions of electrons or other charged particles with the material. Electron multipliers, photomultipliers, and Geiger counters all work by means of secondary emission.