Hyperspectroscopy: A tool for high-spatial-resolution temperature mapping of electron emitters

Hyperspectroscopy consists of spatially-resolved collection of spectra. In order to characterize the performance of electron emitters, in particular thermionic emitters, the thermal characteristics must be known. In this work, we use hyperspectroscopy to map out the blackbody temperature distribution on the surface of an optically-excited source comprised of a carbon nanotube (CNT) forest - a promising material for thermionic and field emission devices.