Multipactor experiments on an S-band coaxial test cell
Stephen V. Langellotti, Nicholas Jordan, Y. Y. Lau, R. M. Gilgenbach
Abstract
Radio frequency vacuum electronics are prone to multipactor discharges. These electron discharges, driven by secondary electron emission, can disrupt and damage devices and are particularly important in satellite communication systems. We present results from a new S-band coaxial multipactor test cell which demonstrates scaling to much higher frequencies (3.05 GHz) than previous coaxial experiments (10-150 MHz). The multipactor breakdown threshold has been found to agree very well with our earlier simulated predictions. The significant effect from multipactor self-conditioning has also been demonstrated and characterized. Future experiments will use this test cell to investigate various multipactor mitigation strategies.