Comparison Between Different Criteria for Evaluating Reverberation Chamber Functioning Using a 3-D FDTD Algorithm

This paper is devoted to the comparison between different criteria used to evaluate the functioning of a mechanically stirred reverberation chamber. Usual criteria based on power or electric fields are considered, and we also propose a criterion based on the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, called in this paper “success ratio to Kolmogorov–Smirnov test” (SRKS). The SRKS represents the acceptation ratio of this test applied at several points of the working volume, when considering a field component and its associated theoretical distribution. After a presentation of the criteria and of the studied chamber, data issued from 3-D finite-difference time-domain simulations and measurements are used to analyze the chamber functioning by the use of these criteria. This study is performed on a large frequency band, in the lossless case as well as with a lossy chamber, and for several stirrer shapes, to emphasize the influence of these parameters. The comparison of the usual criteria with the SRKS shows the SKRS is an accurate test to estimate the lowest usable frequency of a given reverberation chamber.