Absorbing cross section in reverberation chamber: experimental and numerical results

Reverberation chamber (RC) test facility allows to determine the absorbing cross section (ACS) of lossy materials under a random field excitation. Measurements are based on the quality factor variation produced by the sample under test presence with respect to the empty chamber condition. Simulations are based on the representation of the RC electromagnetic field by means of a random plane wave superposition. A finite-difference time-domain code is used to compute the material absorbed power and to recover a numerical ACS. The method sensibility is stressed by application to small size samples. Comparison between numerical and experimental data reveals a satisfactory agreement. Results for different materials are presented in the paper: soft foam absorbers, carbon foam sheets, and carbon/carbon sheets.