Change of Electron Temperature in an Electron Beam

The effect of electron encounters on the velocity distribution in an electron beam after passage through an accelerating grid is calculated by direct integration of the Boltzmann equation. It is found, with electron densities and velocities typical of traveling wave tubes and diodes, that the electron encounters have a negligible effect, that the formulas of the usual kinetic theory for heat conduction do not hold, and that the longitudinal component of the electron gas pressure is negligible.