An Analytical Model of One-Sided Multipactor on a Dielectric of a Metal Surface for Spacecraft Application

Abstract

The aim of this article is to establish a general and practical analytical model of the one-sided multipactor on a dielectric of a metal surface and analyze the resonant multipactor effect for the recent growing interest in spacecrafts. A theoretical multipactor model involving a normal static electric field, a radio frequency (RF) electric field with both tangential and normal components, and the influence of the desorption gas is proposed. The kinetic properties and the resonant condition of the electron are studied by analytical calculations. The results show that the transit time of the electron decreases with the increase in the normal static electric field and the pressure of the desorption gas. The emission phase of the electron is the paramount factor that has a direct influence on the occurrence of the resonant multipactor. If the resonant multipactor effect could appear, the emission phase of the electron should be larger than a critical phase, and the ratio between the amplitude of the normal component of the RF electric field and the normal static electric field should be larger than a specific value as well.