Simplifications in the stochastic Fourier transform approach to random surface scattering

Further developments in the application of the stochastic Fourier transform approach (SFTA) to random surface scattering are presented. It is first shown that the infinite dimensional integral equation for the stochastic Fourier transform of the surface current can be reduced to the three dimensions associated with the random surface height and slopes. A three-dimensional integral equation of the second kind is developed for the average scattered field in stochastic Fourier transform space using conditional probability density functions. Various techniques for determining the transformed current (and, subsequently, the incoherent scattered power) from the average scattered field in stochastic Fourier transform space are developed and studied from the point of view of computational suitability. The case of vanishingly small surface correlation length is reexamined and the SFTA is found to provide erroneous results for the average scattered field due to the basic failure of the magnetic field integral equation (MFIE) in this limit.     

A new numerical method for rough-surface scattering calculations

A new approach to solving the magnetic field integral equation (MFIE) for the current induced on a infinite perfectly conducting rough surface is presented. By splitting the propagator matrix into contributions from the left and from the right of the point of observation, a second kind integral equation can be formed with a new Born term and a new kernel. Following discretization of this new integral equation, the unknown currents can be determined more rapidly and with significantly less storage requirements than conventional LU decomposition; where the time saving factor is roughly N/3 where N is the number of current samples on the surface and the usual storage requirements associated with matrix inversion are eliminated. While the new Born term is usually adequate for scattered field calculations, the new discretized integral equation can be iterated to any desired accuracy with no apparent convergence problems. Results are presented for one-dimensional rough surfaces with rms heights exceeding one wavelength and rms slopes exceeding 40° which illustrate the robustness of the new Born term     

Sommerfeld and Zenneck wave propagation for a finitely conductingone-dimensional rough surface

Starting with Zenneck and Sommerfeld wave propagation over a flat finitely conducting surface has been extensively studied by Wait (see IEEE Antennas Propagat. Mag., vol.40, p.7-24, 1998) and many other authors. We examine propagation over a finitely conducting rough surface, also studied by many people including Feinberg (1944), Bass and Fuks (1979), and Barrick (see Radio Sci., vol.6, p.517-26, and vol.6., p.527-33). This paper extends the multiple scattering theories based on Dyson and Bethe-Salpeter equations and their smoothing approximations. The theory developed here applies to rough surfaces with small root-mean-square (RMS) heights (σ<0.1λ). We limit ourselves to the one-dimensional (1-D) rough surface with finite conductivity excited by a magnetic line source, which is equivalent to the Sommerfeld dipole problem in two dimensions (x-z plane). With the presence of finite roughness, the total field decomposes into the coherent field and the incoherent field. The coherent (average) field is obtained by using Dyson's equation, a fundamental integral equation based on the modified perturbation method. Once the coherent field has been obtained, we determine the Sommerfeld pole, the effective surface impedance, and the Zenneck wave for rough surfaces of small RMS heights. The coherent field is written in terms of the Fourier transform, which is equivalent to the Sommerfeld integral. Numerical examples of the attenuation function are compared to Monte Carlo simulations and are shown to contrast the flat and rough surface cases. Next, we obtain the general expression for the incoherent mutual coherence functions and scattering cross section for rough conducting surfaces     

A new approach based on a combination of integral equation and asymptotic techniques for solving electromagnetic scattering problems

We introduce a new approach for combining the integral equation and high frequency asymptotic techniques, e.g., the geometrical theory of diffraction. The method takes advantage of the fact that the Fourier transform of the unknown surface current distribution is proportional to the scattered far-field. A number of asymptotic methods are currently available that provide good approximation to this farfield in a convenient analytic form which is useful for deriving an initial estimate of the Fourier transform of the current distribution. An iterative scheme is developed for systematically improving the initial form of the high frequency asymptotic solution by manipulating the integral equation in the Fourier transform domain. A salient feature of the method is that it provides a convenient validity check of the solution for the surface current distribution by verifying that the scattered field it radiates indeed satisfies the boundary conditions at the surface of the scatterer. Another important feature of the method is that it yields both the induced surface current density and the far-field. Diffraction by a strip (two-dimensional problem) and diffraction by a thin plate (three-dimensional problem) are presented as illustrative examples that demonstrate the usefulness of the approach for handling a variety of electromagnetic scattering problems in the resonance region and above.     

Integral equation solution for analyzing scattering fromone-dimensional periodic coated strips

A set of integral equations based on the surface/surface formulation are developed for analyzing electromagnetic scattering by one-dimensional periodic structures. To compare the accuracy, efficiency, and robustness of the formulation, the electric field integral equation (EFIE), magnetic field integral equation (MFIE), and combined field integral equation (CFIE) are developed for analyzing the same structure for different excitations. Due to the periodicity of the structure, the integral equations are formulated in the spectral domain using the Fourier transform of the integrodifferential operators. The generalized-biconjugate-gradient-fast Fourier transform method with subdomain basis functions is used to solve the matrix equation     

Monte Carlo simulation of electromagnetic scattering fromtwo-dimensional random rough surfaces

The fast multipole method fast Fourier transform (FMM-FFT) method is developed to compute the scattering of an electromagnetic wave from a two-dimensional (2-D) rough surface. The resulting algorithm computes a matrix-vector multiply in O(N log N) operations. This algorithm is shown to be more efficient than another O(N log N) algorithm, the multilevel fast multipole algorithm (MLFMA), for surfaces of small height. For surfaces with larger roughness, the MLFMA is found to be more efficient. Using the MLFMA, Monte Carlo simulations are carried out to compute the statistical properties of the electromagnetic scattering from 2-D random rough surfaces using a workstation. For the rougher surface, backscattering enhancement is clearly observable as a pronounced peak in the backscattering direction of the computed bistatic scattering coefficient. For the smoother surface, the Monte Carlo results compare well with the results of the approximate Kirchhoff theory     

粗糙面与目标电磁散射统计特性分析

首先给出用于描述和产生粗糙海面的模型，然后在锥形平面波入射条件下，用矩量法求解了粗糙面及与圆柱形近地小目标复合散射所满足的积分方程，最后给出了不同条件下粗糙面、粗糙面与目标复合散射特性的统计结果及相互间的比较。     

Infrared Laser Pulse Scattering from Randomly Rough Surfaces

Analytical expression for the two-frequency mutual coherence function of the infrared laser pulse scattering from randomly rough surfaces is presented based on the Kirchhoff approximation. Scattered pulse shapes are calculated at 10.6μm as the Fourier transform of the two-frequency mutual coherent function. It is shown that the root-mean-square height of rough surface greatly influences on results and the scattered pulse power mainly comes from the specular direction with small rms height.     

On the analysis of statistical distributions of UWB signal scattering by random rough surfaces based on Monte Carlo simulations of Maxwell equations

The field strength level of received signal and its statistical distributions are important in the study of signal propagation and scattering for wireless communication and remote sensing. In this paper, the scattering by random rough surface is analyzed by solving the solution of Maxwell equation. The method of moments is used to discretize the integral equation into the matrix equation. The sparse-matrix canonical grid method, which is a fast matrix solver, is applied in the analysis. Conjugate gradient (CG) method is adopted to solve the solution of matrix equation. With the solution of Maxwell equations, the magnitude of the scattered field is then used to predict the field statistics. Both time harmonic scattering and ultrawide-band (UWB) scattering are considered. For the time domain response, the electromagnetic scattered field in the vicinity of center of rough surfaces is first calculated in the frequency domain. Then the time domain signal is obtained by mean of the Fourier transform. The fading statistics are compared with that of the Rayleigh and Nakagami distributions. Results reveal that UWB signal exhibits less fading than the narrow band signal.     

A combined steepest descent-fast multipole algorithm for the fastanalysis of three-dimensional scattering by rough surfaces

A new technique, the steepest descent-fast multipole method (SDFMM), is developed to efficiently analyze scattering from perfectly conducting random rough surfaces. Unlike other prevailing methods, this algorithm has linear computational complexity and memory requirements, making it a suitable candidate for analyzing scattering from large rough surfaces as well as for carrying out Monte Carlo simulations. The method exploits the quasiplanar nature of rough surfaces to efficiently evaluate the dyadic Green's function for multiple source and observation points. This is achieved through a combination of a Sommerfeld steepest descent integral and a multilevel fast multipole-like algorithm based on inhomogeneous plane wave expansions. The fast evaluation of the dyadic Green's function dramatically speeds up the iterative solution of the integral equation for rough surface scattering. Several numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the efficacy and accuracy of the method in analyzing scattering from extremely large finite rough surfaces     

On the Scattering of Electromagnetic Waves by Periodic Rough Dielectric Surfaces: A BOA Solution

A new approach for the scattering of electromagnetic (EM) waves from periodic dielectric rough surfaces is addressed. The method is an extension of the buried object approach (BOA), which is developed for rough surfaces of infinite extend, to the present problem. The BOA allows to model the original problem as the scattering of EM waves from cylindrical objects located in a two-half-space medium with planar interface. Then, the problem is reduced to the solution of a Fredholm integral equation of second kind through the periodic Green's function of two-half-space medium. The periodic Green's function of two-half-space medium is calculated via the Floquet mode expansion, whose numerical evaluation can be accelerated by using effective methods. The method can also be used to solve the scattering problems of rough surfaces of infinite extend and having a localized roughness. Numerical simulations show that the method yields effective and accurate results for surfaces of arbitrary variation.      

Parallel analysis of electromagnetic scattering from random rough surfaces

An efficient approach for simulation of random rough surface scattering is developed based on using a single integral equation formulation and a multilevel sparse-matrix canonical-grid method. Merits of the scheme are demonstrated using two wind-driven ocean surfaces, one which is very rough and the other large in size.     

Theory of a vertical tubular antenna located above a conducting half-space

The input admittance and the current distribution of a finite vertical tubular dipole antenna located above an infinite dissipative half-space can be found as a function of the distance above and the electric properties of the dissipative half-space. An integral equation for the current on the surface of the antenna is formulated and subsequently solved by numerical evaluation of associated moment functions in the Fourier transform plane. The magnitude, but not the distribution, of the current is found to be strongly affected by the presence of the dissipative medium. At certain distances above the half-space, the input conductance of the antenna reaches its maximum value.     

Inversion of roughness profile of heterogeneous fractal surface using Gaussian beam incidence at low grazing angle

As a Gaussian beam is incident upon a rough surface at low grazing angle, the Helmholts scalar wave equation may be replaced by the parabolic approximate equation. As the incident field is known, the scattered field and surface current give the Volterra integral equation. Surface roughness profile can be formulated by the integral equation of the surface currents. These two coupled equations are applied to invert the roughness profile of heterogeneous fractal surface. Using Monte Carlo method, the fractal rough surfaces with a band-limited Weistrass-Manderbrot function are numerically simulated and the scattered fields along a line parallel to the mean surface are solved. The Gaussian beam incidence and scattered fields are used to progressively invert the surface roughness profile. Reconstructed profile and its inverted fractal dimension, roughness variance and correlation length are well matched with the simulated surfaces.     

New Full Wave Theory for Plane Wave Scattering From Rough Dielectric Surfaces—The Correction Current Method: TE Polarization

A new full-wave theory for scattering from rough dielectric surfaces—called the correction current (CC) method—is presented. An iterative solution is developed leading to a first-order scatter pattern in the form of a single integral, making it computationally efficient and capable of showing surface parameter dependencies explicitly. The first-order CC-scatter solution is shown to satisfy reciprocity, to comply with a pattern symmetry relation, and to be accurate over a wide range of surface parameters. The theory is also shown to be capable of quantifying its field errors resulting in an error criterion that is derived from the theory itself (which is not generally available in other theories). Radar cross sections for random rough surfaces with Gaussian statistics are compared to data generated by solving the electric field integral equation using the method of moments. Good agreement was shown to result for a wide range of surface parameters.      

Numerical simulation of scattering from three-dimensional randomlyrough surfaces

Randomly rough surface patches in three dimensions are generated on the computer. The FD-TD method is used to compute scattering from surface patches by converting the Maxwell's equations into difference equations using a central difference approximation for the space and time derivatives. The volume of grids above the rough surface is divided into the total field and the scattered field regions. In between these two regions, obliquely incident waves are generated. To reduce computation, the volume of grids is chosen to be small, and a transformation is used to convert the scattered field into far zone fields for bistatic scattering coefficient calculations. Possible errors near the edge of the surface due to the use of a relatively small volume are suppressed by introducing a windowing function. Very good agreements are obtained between the results obtained by this method and those calculated by an integral equation method (IEM) for scattering from randomly rough perfectly conducting and dielectric surfaces     

A survey of the physical optics inverse scattering identity

The physical optics approximation is applied to the acoustic and electromagnetic direct scattering integral representation, yielding an inverse scattering identity which relates the characteristic function of a scatterer to the three-dimensional spatial Fourier transform of the augmented far-field scattering amplitude. This identity requires full scattering information for all frequencies and aspect angles. An integral equation for incomplete scattering information for this identity is developed. This integral equation is for the unknown characteristic function of the scatterer in terms of the known incomplete scattering information. The kernel of this integral equation is the three-dimensional spatial Fourier transform of the known characteristic function of the scattering information aperture. A regularized analytic closed-form solution to this integral equation is obtained. Synthesized numerico-experimental results verifying this solution are presented. The details of some special cases, consisting of a priori knowledge about the scatterer or the scattering information aperture, are presented.     

Electromagnetic scattering interaction between a dielectriccylinder and a slightly rough surface

An electromagnetic scattering solution for the interaction between a dielectric cylinder and a slightly rough surface is presented in this paper. Taking the advantage of a newly developed technique that utilizes the reciprocity theorem, the difficulty in formulating the secondary scattered fields from the composite target reduces to the evaluation of integrals involving the scattered fields from the cylinder and polarization currents of the rough surface induced by a plane wave. Basically, only the current distribution of isolated scatterers are needed to evaluate the interaction in the far-field region. The scattered field from the cylinder is evaluated in the near-field region using a stationary phase approximation along the cylinder axis. Also, the expressions for the polarization current induced within the top rough layer of the rough surface derived from the iterative solution of an integral equation are employed in this paper. A sensitivity analysis is performed for determining the dependency of the scattering interaction on the target parameters such as surface root mean square (RMS) height, dielectric constant, cylinder diameter, and length. It is shown that for nearly vertical cylinders, which is of interest for modeling of vegetation, the cross-polarized backscatter is mainly dominated by the scattering interaction between the cylinder and the rough surface. The accuracy of the theoretical formulation is verified by conducting polarimetric backscatter measurements from a lossy dielectric cylinder above a slightly rough surface. Excellent agreement between the theoretical prediction and experimental results is obtained     

An efficient algorithm for electromagnetic scattering from rough surfaces using a single integral equation and multilevel sparse-matrix canonical-grid method

An efficient algorithm for wave scattering from two-dimensional lossy rough surfaces is proposed. It entails the use of a single magnetic field integral equation (SMFIE) in conjunction with a multilevel sparse-matrix canonical-grid (MSMCG) method. The Rao-Wilton-Glisson (RWG) triangular discretization is adopted to better model the rough surface than the pulse basis functions used in the well-established SMCG method. Using the SMFIE formulation, only one unknown per interior edge of the triangular mesh approximating the rough surface is required, and the iterative solution to the moment equation converges more rapidly than that of the conventional coupled equations for dielectric rough surfaces. The MSMCG method extends the applicability of the SMCG method to rougher surfaces. Parallel implementation of the proposed method enables us to model dielectric surfaces up to a few thousand square wavelengths. Simulation results are presented as bistatic scattering coefficients for Gaussian randomly rough surfaces.     

Radiation characteristics of dielectric-coated coaxial waveguideperiodic slot with finite and zero thickness

The leaky wave radiated from the dielectric-coated coaxial waveguide periodic slot with finite and zero thickness is investigated theoretically for the infinite and finite periodic structures. For the infinite periodic structure, mode-matching technique and integral equation method are applied to the analysis of finite and zero thickness slot cases, respectively. The integral equations are derived for the finite periodic structure by use of the Fourier transform and mode expansion and simultaneous linear equations are obtained. The effects of the slot thickness, the finite slot number and the dielectric coating are analyzed. Results for finite periodic slots are compared with those of the infinite extent structure and good agreement is found