Comparative study of multipactor effect in rectangular and parallel-plate waveguides partially loaded with dielectric

TL;DR

This study compares the multipactor effect in dielectric-loaded rectangular and parallel-plate waveguides, highlighting how electric field inhomogeneity influences susceptibility and electron dynamics.

Contribution

It provides a detailed comparison of multipactor susceptibility and electron behavior in two waveguide configurations, revealing the impact of electric field distribution.

Findings

Electric field inhomogeneity alters susceptibility chart edges.

Quantitative differences in electron population and trajectories.

Similar qualitative multipactor behavior in both waveguides.

Abstract

In this work, a comparative study of the susceptibility chart in a partially dielectric-loaded rectangular waveguide and in its equivalent partially dielectric-loaded parallel-plate waveguide with the same height is performed. This study shows how the inhomogeneity of the electric field inside the rectangular waveguide modifies the edges of the multipactor susceptibility chart with respect to that predicted by the parallel-plate waveguide case. Moreover, comparisons of the evolution of the population and the trajectory of the effective electron and the DC field appearing in the waveguide in a point well inside the multipactor region obtained with both models are performed, showing some quantitative differences in the multipactor evolution, but a similar qualitative behaviour is observed.