Susceptibility of dielectric-loaded, vacuum-breakdown discharges in DC

This work presents a novel, simplified theory of breakdown susceptibility in dielectric-loaded systems operating in DC, with multipactor targeted as the effect of lowest-order. Limits for susceptibility are drawn with the well-known characteristics of secondary-emission [1], and 2-D particle-in-cell modeling is used to monitor the evolution of discharges via time-traces of surface-field characteristics plotted against E_⊥/E_|| susceptibility planes. Susceptibility in DC is shown to predict and model the general behavior of DC discharges, which may then be used to devise methods for restoring or forcing operating modes to desirable, non-multiplicative regimes.