Influence of an external magnetic field on the threshold of multipactor onset on a dielectric surface

In this paper, we propose a theoretical model of the initial stage of development of a one-sided secondary-emission (multipactor) discharge on a dielectric surface. Consideration is based on a statistical method supported by an exact analytical solution for the transit-time distribution function of secondary electrons. The general integral equation allowing us to determine the stationary emission-phase distribution functions and the threshold of multiplicator onset in the presence of an external magnetic field is formulated. It is shown that the presence of an external magnetic field can significantly change the conditions of multipactor onset. It is found that the discharge-zone boundaries calculated within the framework of a statistical model are in qualitative agreement with the results obtained by the Monte-Carlo method. __________ Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 118–133, February 2007.