On the Measurement of the Absorption Cross Section and Material Reflectivity in a Reverberation Chamber

Abstract

In this paper, all losses in a reverberation chamber (RC) are represented by equivalent absorption cross sections (ACSs), both those due to the power dissipated and those due to the power lost through leakage. This representation enables us to define an absorption cross section of the RC, so that we can easily measure and compare the losses of different natures in an RC directly in terms of ACS. Additionally, this representation of the losses leads to equal measurements of the attendant ACS in relation to two different methods to represent the electromagnetic radiation in an RC suggested by Corona and Hill. As a specific applicative example, an effective method to measure the reflectivity of materials based only on ACS measurements is shown. Finally, its validity will be presented, applying the same principle of the reflectivity measurement to a nested reverberation chamber system.