Simulations of multipactor in circular waveguides

Detailed numerical simulations have been done to investigate the properties of multipactor breakdown in circular waveguides operating in the propagating fundamental TE11 mode. Main attention has been given to a comparison between the two fundamental cases corresponding to linear and circular polarizations, respectively, of the propagating electromagnetic wave. It is found that circular polarization is considerably more susceptible to multipactor than linear polarization. The reason for this difference is clarified by a comprehensive study of the electron motion in the waveguide. (C) 2010 American Institute of Physics. [doi: 10.1063/1.3526674]