A Predictive Model for Multipactor Discharge in Coaxial Systems Based on Chaos Theory

Multipactor is an electron discharge driven by secondary electron emission (SEE). Recently, a novel theoretical approach for multipactor based on principles from nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory has been introduced and applied to a parallel-plate geometry. In this article, the theory is extended to a coaxial geometry driven by the fundamental transverse electromagnetic (TEM) mode and an axial dc magnetic field. This configuration is often examined in light of multipactor suppression schemes for space-borne applications. Maps that relate the radio frequency (RF) emission phase to the RF arrival phase are developed for both the inner and outer conductors with no a priori assumptions on the electron trajectories (neglecting space-charge effects). By combining the system attractors with secondary emission properties of the conductor material, multipactor growth (or decay) is predicted throughout parameter space under realistic spreads in secondary emission energies and angles. This model is validated against published simulation and experimental results.