High-frequency electromagnetic wave scattering from rough surfaces

A new technique in solving the rough surface scattering problem is presented. The method employed, entitled the "shooting and bouncing rays" (SBR) method, is based on a combination of the geometric optics (GO) theory and the physical optics (PO) theory. The SBR method improves on the Kirchhoff approximation by considering the mutual interactions between the irregularities of the surface (i.e., shadowing and multiple scattering are accounted for). In addition, the SBR technique is more efficient than the Method of Moments (MoM) solution, because it does not involve matrix equations, which makes solving the full three-dimensional problem possible. The numerical results, obtained by implementing the SBR technique in solving the scattering problem by one-dimensional random rough surfaces, are compared to the Kirchhoff approximation solutions and the method of moments solutions. The agreement between the SBR technique results and the MoM solution results proves the feasibility and the accuracy of this new approach. Furthermore, the SBR technique is proven to produce more accurate results than the Kirchhoff approximation when shadowing and multiple scattering effects are important. Finally, the SBR technique is implemented in solving the scattering problem by two-dimensional periodic rough surfaces. The results obtained prove the capability of the SBR method in handling the full three-dimensional problem.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio