Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
It is demonstrated that the presence of absorbing inhomogeneities in an air-filled microwave waveguide may significantly lower the threshold for microwave breakdown. The underlying physical mechanism is locally enhanced microwave absorption and subsequent heating of the waveguide air. The results provide an explanation of the fact that break-down thresholds of microwave transmission systems are observed to be much lower than theoretical predictions.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Anderson et al. (1987) studied this question.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: