Application of energy-balance model from gas discharge to single-surface multipactor

A unified theory of multipactor discharge on a dielectric is proposed by utilizing the similarity of the energy balance between multipactor and collisional gas discharge. In this theory, the electron energy gain in multipactor is predicted using the classical formulas for the electric field powers in gas discharge, and the electron energy loss is caused by electron bombardment to the dielectric surface. As with kinetic effects in collisional gas discharge, the electron energy distribution function is important in saturated multipactor. Due to the complex energy distribution functions in saturated multipactor, the average bombardment electron energies are varied and much larger than the traditional predicted value indicated by the first crossover of unity in the secondary electron yield. Using the proposed energy-balance model, multipactor in envelope microwaves and multipactor under an extra magnetic field are both theoretically predicted. The theoretical results for the surface-normal accumulative electric field and the deposited power in saturated multipactor are consistent with the results from electromagnetic particle-in-cell (PIC) simulations.