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| physical object > artifact > device > instrument > optical device > detector > photoelectric device | 
| photoelectric device comparison table | |
| Subject | has definition | 
|---|---|
| photocathode | A thin metallic plate housed inside an evacuated tube capable of releasing electrons through the "photoelectric effect" when illuminated by light. These surfaces are best for optical and ultraviolet light. | 
| photomultiplier | A vacuum encapsulated photocathode from which electrons are ejected by the photoelectric effect followed by multiple cathodes from which many additional electrons are emitted in a cascade. When finally collected, the original single electron may have generated a pulse of over one million electrons. | 
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