Preprint: Citation Issues in Wave Mechanics Theory of Microwave Absorption
A Comprehensive Analysis with Theoretical Foundations and Peer Review Challenges
Yue Liu，Ying Liu，Michael G. B Drew，Citation Issues in Wave Mechanics Theory of Microwave Absorption: A Comprehensive Analysis with Theoretical Foundations and Peer Review Challenges, 2025, arXiv:2508.06522, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2508.06522
Why is the wave dynamics theory of microwave absorption correct, while the impedance matching theory is wrong?
1 Different Conclusions from the Two Distinctive Theories
Although both the prevailing impedance matching theory and the newly established wave mechanics theory use reflection loss (|RL|) to characterize the microwave absorption of metal-backed films, they yield fundamentally different interpretations and results when analyzing the same experimental data. The mainstream theory attributes all variations in |RL| to the intrinsic properties of material structure and material resonance, interpreting the influence of film thickness solely as a manifestation of these factors. In contrast, the wave mechanics theory redirects the analysis to the proper physical mechanism: it recognizes that the material’s properties influence εr and μr, which in turn directly determine the value of |RL|, and that material structure only affects microwave absorption by altering εr and μr. Yet, the crucial question of how material structure specifically affects εr and μr has scarcely been addressed in mainstream research—highlighting a key conceptual distinction between the two approaches. As a result, their conclusions diverge sharply: according to impedance matching theory, minimizing the reflection of the incident wave at the film interface is essential for achieving higher absorption peaks. However, the wave mechanics theory posits the opposite—only when the incident wave undergoes significant reflection at the film interface can strong absorption peaks arise, due to the pronounced destructive interference (wave cancellation) between the reflected beams. This fundamental difference underscores the necessity of adopting the correct theoretical perspective to accurately interpret experimental results in microwave absorption.
Only by overturning transmission‐line theory itself could one legitimately use impedance matching arguments to refute the wave mechanics theory of microwave absorption, since the latter is rigorously built upon the transmission‐line formalism. Although mainstream impedance matching theory also claims a transmission‐line foundation, in practice it departs from that framework and relies on flawed phenomenological assumptions, so refuting transmission‐line theory would not invalidate impedance matching explanations. Transmission‐line theory, however, has been repeatedly confirmed across numerous fields—from RF engineering to photonics—and is exceedingly difficult to undermine. Therefore, the true orthodox model for thin‐film microwave absorption must be the wave mechanics theory, not the conventional impedance‐matching approach. Clinging to impedance matching, then, does not defend a time‐honored scientific principle but rather protects the reputations of those unwilling to abandon the traditional—but incorrect—theory.
2 The Impedance Matching Theories in Microwave Engineering and in Microwave Absorption Materials are Not the Same
In microwave engineering, defining impedance matching as Zin = Z0 is entirely appropriate and theoretically sound, as demonstrated by Liu et al. in their foundational analysis (Journal of Applied Physics, 2023, 134(4), 045303). However, the microwave absorption materials field erroneously extends this condition to cases where Zin ≠ Z0 when explaining absorption peak intensity, which represents a fundamental theoretical error as rigorously proven in Liu et al.'s verification studies (Physica Scripta, 2022, 97(1), 015806). The microwave absorption community has misinterpreted impedance matching theory in microwave engineering by claiming that greater microwave penetration into the film, combined with stronger material attenuation capability, results in smaller reflected wave amplitudes from the back interface and thus stronger absorption peaks—an explanation that confuses film behavior with bulk material properties, as systematically documented across multiple publications (Surfaces and Interfaces, 2023, 40, 103022; Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 2024, 593, 171850; Journal of Applied Physics, 2023, 134(4), 045304; Applied Physics A, 2024, 130, 212). Furthermore, experimental observations reveal that absorption peaks occurring at Zin = Z0 are exceptionally rare in actual film systems, while absorption peaks at Zin ≠ Z0 are the common occurrence—a fact that directly contradicts the traditional impedance matching interpretation and supports the wave mechanics framework that correctly explains absorption through wave interference mechanisms rather than impedance matching conditions. This wave mechanics framework is a new development of microwave theory in the field of microwave absorption materials.
When a film's material composition remains fixed while film thickness varies, the resulting changes in |RL| values demonstrate that thickness-dependent microwave absorption is determined by film properties rather than material structure. However, traditional microwave absorption theory incorrectly attributes these film structural dimension effects to material structural influences on film absorption—an unscientific approach that conflates distinct physical phenomena. The scientifically rigorous methodology requires separately investigating how permittivity and permeability of the material affect |RL|, and independently studying how material structure influences the values of these electromagnetic parameters. In reality, microwave absorption in films does not result from material attenuation along the wave propagation path, but rather from wave interference effects—a fundamental distinction that explains why film (device) properties cannot be simply equated with the properties of constituent materials. This wave interference mechanism is precisely why device engineering remains essential: devices create emergent properties through structural design that transcend the limitations of their component materials, as rigorously demonstrated in the wave mechanics framework (Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 2024, 593, 171850; Surfaces and Interfaces, 2023, 40, 103022). Understanding this distinction between material properties and device behavior is crucial for advancing electromagnetic absorption technology beyond the constraints of traditional material-centric approaches.
3 Wave Mechanics Theory in Microwave Absorption: Revealing the Counterintuitive Nature of Physical Reality
The wave mechanics theory of microwave absorption exemplifies how classical wave mechanics reveals profound and counterintuitive physical phenomena that challenge established scientific paradigms. Just as quantum mechanics emerged from the synthesis of classical particle mechanics and classical wave mechanics—both fundamentally correct theories whose combination produced a framework that successfully resolved numerous physical puzzles—the wave mechanics approach to microwave absorption demonstrates that classical wave dynamics remains a remarkably powerful analytical tool with far-reaching applications beyond the quantum realm.
The apparent "strangeness" of quantum mechanics stems precisely from incorporating wave mechanical principles into particle mechanics, creating the famous wave-particle duality that defines quantum behavior. Classical wave mechanics proves to be a remarkably fascinating field, and as more analogous results emerge across different domains, it continues to reveal the profound power of wave dynamics in unexpected contexts.
As more analogous results emerge across different engineering domains, wave mechanics continues to unveil the extraordinary and often surprising behavior of physical systems. The controversy between wave mechanics theory and mainstream microwave absorption theories perfectly illustrates this phenomenon, revealing how wave mechanics exposes seemingly impossible results that overturn common-sense intuitions: while the impedance matching theory in the field of microwave absorption material assumes that greater microwave penetration into films, combined with stronger material absorption capabilities, leads to reduced reflection from the back interface and thus enhanced absorption peaks (a straightforward interpretation based on energy being absorbed along the wave propagation path, as documented in Surfaces and Interfaces, 2023, 40, 103022), the wave mechanics framework completely revolutionizes this understanding by demonstrating that microwave absorption by films results not from material attenuation during propagation, but from wave superposition effects—where the film device essentially forces the material to absorb a precisely determined quantity of microwaves through interference mechanisms, rather than the absorption being governed by intrinsic material properties alone. This paradigm shift explains why device performance fundamentally differs from the properties of constituent materials: devices are not merely equivalent to their component materials, which is precisely why device engineering represents a distinct discipline requiring wave-based analysis to achieve optimal performance (as rigorously demonstrated in Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials, 2024, 593, 171850, and Materials Chemistry and Physics, 2022, 291, 126601). The wave mechanics theory of microwave absorption thus serves as a compelling example of how classical wave physics continues to reveal extraordinary insights that challenge established scientific understanding and drive technological innovation.
The research around the wave mechanics theory is systematic, deep, and extensive. The theory reveals that device and material need separate theories to describe microwave absorption. Many new concepts have been established. It is a new development of microwave theory in the field of microwave absorption materials.
Although both the long-established impedance matching theory and the newly developed wave mechanics theory employ reflection loss (|RL|) to characterize microwave absorption in metal-backed films, the results derived from identical experimental data using erroneous versus correct theoretical frameworks differ fundamentally. Erroneous theories that have persisted for decades naturally accumulate a substantial body of mathematical "proof" literature, yet whenever such flawed theories receive rigorous mathematical validation, their proof processes invariably become extremely complex and difficult to comprehend—as exemplified by Zhang et al.'s "strict proof" of the quarter-wavelength model (Journal of Physics D, 2020), Wang et al.'s "approximate solution" for impedance matching in nonmagnetic materials (European Physical Journal Special Topics, 2022), and Hou et al.'s perspective on impedance matching mechanisms (Carbon, 2024). These theoretical validations become obscure and impenetrable precisely because they contain inherent errors and flaws, making their explanations for experimental deviations from the ideal quarter-wavelength predictions unnecessarily convoluted. Correcting these erroneous proof processes requires considerable effort, as demonstrated by Liu et al.'s systematic deconstructions in Materials Chemistry and Physics (2022), Journal of Applied Physics (2023), and Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research (2025). In stark contrast, correct theories—such as the wave mechanics theory of microwave absorption—present arguments that are simple, clear, and straightforward because they capture the essential physics. Liu et al.'s theoretical investigations in Physica Scripta (2022) and Materials Chemistry and Physics (2022) demonstrate this clarity, while their analysis of phase effects and wave cancellation theory provides remarkably straightforward explanations for absorption peak deviations from phase difference π precisely because it grasps the fundamental nature of the problem. To date, no flaws have been identified in the wave mechanics theory, despite its lack of universal academic acceptance—a testament to the principle that correct theories, by virtue of their alignment with physical reality, naturally yield elegant and comprehensible mathematical formulations, whereas erroneous theories require increasingly complex constructions to mask their fundamental contradictions.
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