  This paper presents a simple and effective wideband method for the
determination of material properties, such as the complex index of refraction
and the complex permittivity and permeability. The method is explicit
(non-iterative) and reference-plane invariant: it uses a certain combination of
scattering parameters in conjunction with group-velocity data. This technique
can be used to characterize both dielectric and magnetic materials. The
proposed method is verified experimentally within a frequency range between 2
to 18 GHz on polytetrafluoroethylene and polyvinylchloride samples. A
comprehensive error and stability analysis reveals that, similar to other
methods based on transmission/reflection measurement, the uncertainties are
larger at low frequencies and at the Fabry-Perot resonances.
