Equivalent electromagnetic parameters for microwave metamaterial absorber using a new symmetry model

Transmission line theory uses the complex nature of permeability and permittivity of a conventional magnetic absorber to evaluate its absorption properties and mechanism. However, because there is no method to obtain the electromagnetic parameters of a metamaterial-absorber integrated layer (composed of a medium layer and a periodic metal array), this theory is seldom used to study the absorption properties of the metamaterial absorber. We propose a symmetry model to achieve an equivalent complex permittivity and permeability model for the integrated layer, which can be combined with the transmission line theory to calculate metamaterial absorption properties. The calculation results derived from both the transmission line theory and the high-frequency structure simulator are in good agreement. This method will be beneficial in practical investigations of the absorption mechanism of a metamaterial absorber.