References: p. 47 (17 tit.)

A model of the collective acceleration of ions at the spark stage of a vacuum discharge has been proposed which is based on the ecton mechanism for the operation of a cathode spot and on the idea of a deep nonstationary potential well. The possibility a deep potential well being formed in the presence of an external electric field has been demonstrated and the prerequisites for its appearance in an explosive-emission diode have been revealed. The proposed model provides an explanation for the principal processes leading to collective acceleration of ions; its predictions are in good agreement with experimental results