SCATTERING OF ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES IN A SPINOR FORMALISM,
Abstract
The scattering of electromagnetic waves by weak scatterers is discussed in terms of a six-component-spinor formulation of the electromagnetic field due to Furutsu and others. Expressions are derived after Glauber for the scattering amplitude which are appropriate to small- and large-angle regimes of high-energy scattering. For the scattering by a homogeneous dielectric sphere, it is seen that the angular distribution given by the Glauber theory is in better agreement with the exact Mie theory than that given by the theory of Saxon and Schiff for values of the refractive index close to one. While both approximations to the exact Mie theory exhibit a displacement of diffraction maxima and minima to larger scattering angles, that displacement is smaller in the Glauber theory. Because of an effective averaging of phase in the Glauber theory at large angles, one finds the minima at very large angles to be washed out. In the asymptotic limit, kR approaches infinity, the radar cross section derived from the Glauber theory is shown to be in order of magnitude agreement with the exact result for an index of refraction in the neighborhood of one. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Feb 01, 1966
- Accession Number
- AD0628616
Entities
People
- R. M. Rockmore
Organizations
- RAND Corporation