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Power handling capabilities of satellite waveguide components are limited by multipactor discharge which, so far, has received scarce attention in terms of model for design purposes. We describe a procedure, based on the knowledge of field distribution inside the considered component, for calculating the minimum power above which the multipactor risk becomes significant. It is shown that the proposed technique allows to avoid over-restrictive specifications and is useful for quantitative evaluation of multipaction prevention techniques. Experimental results and examples confirm the procedure validity.

A reliable model for calculating the power causing a multipactor discharge inside waveguide components for antenna feed systems has been developed and tested. Predicted results are in good agreement with dedicated measurements carried out on a dipleser prototype. The proposed technique represents a very useful design tool for the evaluation of power handling capability of antenna feed cornpotleiits for space application.

A hybrid mode matching/finite element method (FEM) for the analysis of waveguide discontinuities is presented. The method combines the computational efficiency of the modal analysis with the versatility and flexibility of the FEM, and enables us to accurately model geometries where a modal expansion is not available. Moreover, the use of Whitney's edge element within the FEM region allows us to overcome the problem of the spurious solutions arising in nodal FEM. Numerical results that illustrate the accuracy of the method are presente