Various disclosed embodiments include thermionic energy converters and electronic circuitry for generating pulses for igniting plasma in a hermetic package of a thermionic energy converter. In various embodiments, an illustrative thermionic energy converter includes a hermetic package charged with a non-cesium gas additive. The hermetic package is configured to route into the hermetic package pulses for igniting plasma in the hermetic package. A cesium reservoir is disposed in the hermetic package. A cathode is disposed in the hermetic package and an anode is disposed in the hermetic package.

In a plasma generator having a first supply port and a second supply port, in which the plasma generator includes a first supply device for supplying a first gas from the first supply port, and a second supply device connected to the first supply device so as to supply a second gas from the second supply port, a gas supply determination method includes a first supply step of causing the first supply device to start supplying the first gas in a state where the second supply device stops supplying the second gas, a first measurement step of measuring a flow rate of the gas supplied to the first supply port after the first supply step, and a first notification step of notifying a supply state of the first gas in the first supply port in accordance with a flow rate measurement result of the first measurement step.

The invention relates to a treatment assembly for treating the surface of a body with a dielectrically limited plasma, comprising an electrode assembly (1), in which at least one electrode (1a, 1b) is arranged in a base section of the electrode assembly (1), which is completely shielded from the surface to be treated by a dielectricum (3), and a connection conductor (6a, 6b) of which extends into a contact projection (5) of the dielectricum (3). The treatment assembly also comprises a contact element (2, 2), which has a receiving opening (18, 18) for the contact projection (5) and a lever assembly for opening and closing the receiving opening (18, 18) and for pressing a contact pin (31) through a prefabricated recess (14) of the dielectricum (3) onto the electrode (1a, 1b) in order to deliver a connection of a high-voltage AC source to the electrode (1a, 1b), allows a spatially close arrangement of two contact pins (31), which are connected to at least one high-voltage source, in close proximity to each other in that the electrode assembly (1) has at least two electrodes (1a, 1b), which are arranged in the base section and are insulated from each other by the dielectricum (3) and a connection conductor (6a, 6b) of each of which extends into the contact projection (5); a recess (14) is provided in the dielectricum (3) and a contact pin (31) is provided for each connection conductor (6a, 6b); at least one of the contact pins (31) is supported in the contacting element (2) by means of a dielectric casing (30) and is designed with a non-insulated end face (46) for producing a contact with the corresponding electrode (1a, 1b); and the at least one dielectric casing (30) is oversized with respect to the corresponding recess (14) in the dielectricum (3), said oversize allowing a press fit of the casing (30) in the dielectricum (3) by means of the lever assembly when the non-insulated end face (46) of the contact pin (31) contacts the corresponding electrode (1a, 1b), wherein the press fit prevents an air gap.