Ultra-thin electromagnetic bandgap absorbers synthesized via genetic algorithms

A design methodology is presented for utilizing electromagnetic bandgap meta-materials, also known as artificial magnetic conductors, to realize ultra-thin absorbers. One approach that has recently been proposed is to place a resistive sheet in close proximity to a frequency selective surface acting as an artificial magnetic conductor. However, we demonstrate that incorporating the loss directly into the frequency selective surface can eliminate the additional resistive sheet, thereby further reducing the overall thickness of the absorber. A genetic algorithm is used to optimize the geometrical structure and corresponding resistance of the lossy frequency selective surface in order to achieve the thinnest possible design. Two examples of genetically engineered electromagnetic bandgap meta-material absorbers are presented and discussed.