Experimental
The goal of this project is to advance understanding of how multipactor breakdown occurs and how to suppress it. The former includes studying the effects of geometry, material surface properties, material surface textures, and RF waveform properties. The latter includes studying the effects of low secondary electron yield (SEY) materials, non-sinusoidal RF waveforms, and background gas species and pressure. A customized, microstrip testbed has been designed and will be used for experimental studies. Features include 50 ohm impedance over an ultrawide bandwidth (0.1 – 1.2 GHz), high power capability (> 500 W), arbitrary waveform generation, wide dynamic pressure range (10-8 Torr to atmosphere), UV light source for seed electrons, and a replaceable upper conductor strip for testing different materials.
Computational
Theoretical methods are being used to transform the ability to control secondary electron yield (SEY) and thereby develop new materials for reduced multipactor effects. By integrating advanced first-principles methods and state of the art Monte Carlo electron interaction models we are developing the ability to predict SEY from first-principles. This will enable a dramatic increase in the data SEY data available for materials, a new understanding of structure-property relationships in SEY, and eventually, screening and prediction of novel low SEY materials.