Multiple scattering effects on the radar cross section (RCS) of objects in a random medium including backscattering enhancement and shower curtain effects

Abstract

This paper presents a theory of the radar cross section (RCS) of objects in multiple scattering random media. The general formulation includes the fourth-order moments including the correlation between the forward and the backward waves. The fourth moments are reduced to the second-order moments by using the circular complex Gaussian assumption. The stochastic Green's functions are expressed in parabolic approximation, and the objects are assumed to be large in terms of wavelength; therefore, Kirchhoff approximations are applicable. This theory includes the backscattering enhancement and the shower curtain effects, which are not normally considered in conventional theory. Numerical examples of a conducting object in a random medium characterized by the Gaussian and Henyey-Greenstein phase functions are shown to highlight the difference between the multiple scattering RCS and the conventional RCS in terms of optical depth, medium location and angular dependence. It shows the enhanced backscattering due to multiple scattering and the increased RCS if a random medium is closer to the transmitter. © 2004 IOP Publishing Ltd.