A Model for Multipactor Discharge on a Dielectric Based on Chaos Theory

Multipactor is an electron discharge driven by secondary electron emission (SEE). A novel theoretical approach for multipactor discharge based on principles from nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory has been introduced and recently expanded to two-surface multipactor in a parallel-plate geometry. In this article, this theory is applied to the longstanding problem of multipactor on a dielectric surface. Using this new model, susceptibility diagrams are constructed that portray multipactor boundaries as a function of the RF and dc electric field strengths. The new theory is then generalized to multicarrier operation, where several RF carriers (each with a separate amplitude and frequency) are present. This is illustrated for the lowest-order system, namely, two-carrier operation. Here, the effects of the second-carrier on the multipactor susceptibility boundaries are presented. These theoretical predictions are validated against results from existing models.