Deficiency in the error propagation method for sensitivity analysis of free space material characterization

An important aspect in the development of any material characterization method is error analysis. As the necessity for non-destructive evaluation and quality assurance applications increase, free space material characterization methods along with error analysis of these methods will become imperative. A common approach for performing error analysis is the error propagation method. The error propagation method is a standard method to predict the amount of propagated uncertainty in an experimentally determined quantity. This paper demonstrates a deficiency in the error propagation method in predicting propagated error in the extracted permeability and permittivity of free space material characterization methods. The paper provides an overview of the error propagation method and demonstrates the deficiency through error analysis of a free space method entitled the dual polarization method.