Since 1975 our lab has been investigating the critical electron emission from dielectrics into vacuum with nanosecond time resolution using highcurrent-density electron accelerators. It allowed us to clear up some intrinsic properties of the critical electron emission induced by electron beam injection: (1) The emission pulse is delayed for several nanoseconds from the injection one. (2) The peak value of the emission current reaches 100 -1000 A. (3) The direct experimental evidence is obtained for intense electron-hole generation by superhigh electric field in subsurface layer of dielectric. And this process is discovered to be the main reason of the transition to critical electron emission. (4) Critical emission is not uniform and accompanied by point explosions on the dielectric surface and by injections of ion plasmas from these points into vacuum. (5) Transition of critical emission to vacuum breakdown has been observed.
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