How can I create hindrances to radio waves?

Question

How can I create hindrances to radio waves?

Answer 1

Any conductive material will block any EM radiation, including radio waves. However, the thickness of material required to fully block the radiation depends on the wavelength of the radiation and the properties of the material. With a perfect conductor, the radiation is stopped completely by any thickness of the material, but in any real material (except for a superconductor) the radiation is attenuated as it travels through the material. The strength of the radiation will fall off with an exponential decay, and it will do so more quickly in a better conductor. The important number here is called "skin depth" which is given by:

$$\delta = \frac{c}{\sqrt{2\pi\sigma\mu\omega}} $$

Where $\sigma$ is the conductivity of the material, $\mu$ is the magnetic permeability of the material, and $\omega$ is the frequency of the radiation. The skin depth is the distance into the material at which the radiation will have fallen to a fraction of $1/e \approx 0.37$ relative to its original intensity.

As you can see, the skin depth will be smaller for a better conductor or higher frequency radiation. For example, for Aluminum, radiation at 60Hz will have a skin depth of over 8 millimeters, while optical radiation around 600 THz will have a skin depth around 3 nanometers! This is why metal blocks visible light so well, yet radio waves easily penetrate into your house.

Sources:

1. "Lectures on Electromagnetism" page 280. Ashok Das; Hindustan Book Agency, New Delhi, 2004.

2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Skin_effect

Answer 2

In short, just build a Faraday Cage out of conducting material with a mesh size much smaller than the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave you want to block.

Answer 3

A large sheet or volume of matter that contains plenty of freely moveable charge carriers. Examples: metal, which contains electrons not assigned to particular atoms, but free to move; plasmas which consist of electrons and positive ions free to move in space; or a cloud of charged dust particles. If you just want to slow it down not stop the radio waves, any dielectric material will do, the the index of refraction can vary greatly with frequency.

Have enough of this material to block the line of sight between all points of the emitter and all points of the sensor/observer, and more beyond that to reduce radiation sneaking around due to diffraction. To say much more, the question needs to be more specific.