Broadband radar cross section reduction by an absorptive metasurface based on a magnetic absorbing material.

A highly feasible approach to achieve a broadband radar cross section (RCS) reduction using a simple magnetic metasurface is presented. A magnetic absorbing material (MAM) with high permittivity and magnetic loss is introduced into the metasurface design instead of the more common dielectric material to considerably reduce its thickness. The metasurface is composed of an optimized two-dimensional array of MAM meta-atoms and a metal plate in back. The meta-atoms share a simple square ring shape but with variable geometrical parameters, forming strong absorption in different frequency bands with large reflection phase differences. By hybridizing the absorption and phase-cancelation technique, a 10-dB RCS reduction from 3.4 to 18 GHz is achieved at a thickness of only 4 mm. Further experimental measurements are provided to evaluate the performance. Our work provides a promising way to broaden the bandwidth of RCS reduction with low density, reduced thickness, and stable performance, which can be utilized in harsh physical and chemical environments.