Influence of secondary emission yield on the saturation properties of multipactor discharges between two parallel metal plates
Journal article, 2010

A detailed numerical simulation analysis is made of the saturation stage of multipactor discharges between two infinite parallel metal plates in vacuum exposed to a rf voltage. The main physical effect causing saturation of the multipactor discharge is increased space charge, as the electron density becomes large. It is found that the properties of the saturation stage depend crucially on the value of the secondary emission yield of the metal surfaces. Below a certain threshold value, the discharge has a two-sided character, but at this threshold the discharge makes an abrupt transition into two decoupled single-sided multipactor discharges containing significantly increased electron densities. The result of the numerical simulations gives a good picture of the saturation properties of the multipactor discharge and is also supplemented by an approximate analytical investigation that highlights and explains the characteristic properties of the observed saturation behavior.

plasma simulation

plasma density

discharges (electric)

space charge

metals

modes

numerical analysis

simulation

secondary electron emission

wave-guides

Author

M. Buyanova

Russian Academy of Sciences

V. E. Semenov

Russian Academy of Sciences

Dan Anderson

Chalmers, Department of Radio and Space Science, Non-Linear Electrodynamics

Mietek Lisak

Chalmers, Department of Radio and Space Science, Non-Linear Electrodynamics

J. Puech

Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES)

Physics of Plasmas

1070-664X (ISSN) 1089-7674 (eISSN)

Vol. 17 4 043504 - 043504

Subject Categories

Fusion, Plasma and Space Physics

DOI

10.1063/1.3374430

More information

Latest update

4/16/2018