Book excerpt: Physics and Applications of Secondary Electron Emission provides a survey of the physics and applications of secondary electron emission. It is part of a series of monographs that aim to report on research carried out in electronics and applied physics. The monographs are written by specialists in their own subjects. Wherever it is practical the monographs will be kept short in length to enable all those interested in electronics to find the essentials necessary for their work in a condensed and concentrated form. The book begins with a discussion of secondary electrons. Separate chapters cover methods for measuring secondary electron emission; numerical results on the secondary electron emission yield of both metals and metal compounds; the influence of externally adsorbed foreign atoms and ions on secondary electron emission; and the mechanism of secondary electron emission. The final three chapters deal with the application side. These include the applications of electron multiplication; the elimination of disturbing effects due to secondary electrons; and ""storage"" devices in which information on electrical charges is written on an insulating surface, often by making use of secondary electron emission.