Electromagnetic absorption of gaussian beams by a grounded layered structure

A layered structure of magnetodielectric slabs, backed with a perfectly conducting plane, is illuminated by a Gaussian beam. The permittivities and permeabilities of each layer are selected so that the incident field penetrates smoothly into the subsequent layers and sustains gradually greater losses when reaching the internal ones. The performance of the device as an absorber is estimated through a newly defined indicator and it has been found that the absorbing capacity of the structure could be very high. This qualitative factor is robust and efficient when identifying which of the considered parameters are critical or insignificant as far as the performance of the layered configuration is concerned.