ELEMENTARY SOURCE DESCRIPTION OF SCATTERING AND DIFFRACTION,

Abstract

By examining the physics underlying boundary conditions of any diffraction problem, a description of scattering is obtained which employs elementary point sources distributed over the obstacle. This description is valid everywhere in space, in contrast to usual procedures involving Green's theorem, which need not be employed. The elementary source concept leads naturally to two kinds of integral equations for the determination of scattering. In the first, the unknown field for fixed incident plane wave is to be integrated over the surface or volume of the obstacle; in the second, the unknown field, at arbitrary fixed field point is to be integrated over directions of incidence of an incident plane wave. This latter technique is most applicable to a class of obstacles meeting the geometrical requirement of enclosability. As and example of this method, the diffraction of an electromagnetic wave by an infinite strip is examined, and a solution obtained which is valid for low frequencies and any direction of incidence normal to the axis of the strip. The theory developed provides new methods for the exact computation of radar cross section of many types of target. (Author)

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 23, 1963
Accession Number
AD0425508

Entities

People

  • Peter C. Waterman

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Boundaries
  • Computations
  • Contrast
  • Diffraction
  • Equations
  • Frequency
  • Frequency Shift
  • Integral Equations
  • Integrals
  • Mathematics
  • Plane Waves
  • Radar Cross Sections
  • Scattering
  • Wave Phenomena
  • Waves

Readers

  • Calculus or Mathematical Analysis
  • Plasma Physics / Magnetohydrodynamics

Technology Areas

  • Space