APPLICATION OF A STATISTICAL SURFACE MODEL TO PLANETARY RADAR ASTRONOMY.
Abstract
A statistical model of the distribution of slopes and elevations on a cratered planetary surface is applied to scattering of radio waves by the Moon and Venus. It is found that the quasi-specular component of backscattered power can be fit by any symmetric stable distribution for elevation differences whose characteristic exponent is between 1 and 2 (crater diameter population index between 2 and 3). However, the lack of dependence on wavelength of the roughness parameter for decimeter and meter wavelengths suggests that surface elevation differences have nearly a Cauchy distribution, not a Gaussian distribution. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Mar 01, 1969
- Accession Number
- AD0695450
Entities
People
- Allan H. Marcus
Organizations
- Johns Hopkins University