CEST and MEST: Tools for the simulation of radio frequency electric discharges in waveguides

In this paper we present two software tools for the simulation of electron multiplication processes in radio frequency (RF) waveguides. The electric discharges are caused by the multiplication of a small initial number of electrons. These are accelerated by the RF field and produce new electrons either by collisions with the walls of the waveguide (ripping new electrons from them), or by ionization of the neutral atoms of a gas inside the device. MEST allows simulating the Multipactor effect, a discharge produced in vacuum and generated by the collision of the electrons with the walls. CEST simulates the discharge when in addition a neutral gas is present in the waveguide, at pressures lower than ground levels (often denominated Corona discharge). The main characteristic of both tools is that they implement individual-based, microscopic models, where every electron is individually represented and tracked. In the case of MEST, the simulation is discreteevent, as the trajectory of each ...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2008
• Where: SIMPRA
• Authors: Francisco Pérez, Juan de Lara, Luis Conde, Manuel Alfonseca, Luis Galán, David Raboso
• Keywords: Electron, Neutral Atom, SIMPRA 2008, Waveguide