Conformal mapping analysis of multipactor breakdown in waveguide irises

Multipactor breakdown in a single waveguide iris is analyzed using the quasistatic approximation for the spatial distribution of the rf field in the iris. Based on the conformal mapping approach, an analytical description is given of the rf field structure in the iris. It is shown that in the central part of any iris with a length to height ratio greater than approximately 0.5, the rf field structure is close to that between two parallel plates. The multipactor threshold for the iris is determined mainly by electron losses from the central part of the iris where the losses are due to the tangential component of the emission velocity of secondary electrons. The effective length of the iris central part is determined and an estimate of the multipactor threshold for the iris is found in terms of the conventional parameters: Applied rf voltage, product of rf frequency and iris height, and iris length to height ratio. Numerical simulations are also carried out using the exact analytical description of the quasistatic rf field and taking into account a spread of electron emission velocities. (C) 2008 American Institute of Physics.