Multi-frequency multipactor discharge and its harmonious phenomena

Multi-frequency multipactor on a dielectric surface and its harmonious phenomena are reported by revealing nonlinear dynamics, as determined by both dynamic theoretical analysis and electromagnetic particle-in-cell simulations. It is found that a moderate multipactor can be mitigated significantly with harmonious spectra through appropriate phase selection, while a strong multipactor is almost independent of spectra and phase. The underlying physical mechanism is attributed to the harmony of quadratic frequencies caused by a nonlinear dynamic process: the harmonious dynamic trajectory is considerably simpler and about only a small fraction of the inharmonious complex trajectory.