Limitations of Rayleigh scattering in the prediction of millimeter wave attenuation in sand and dust storms

A theoretical investigation conducted on the three main constituents (sand, silt and clay) of the storm reveals that, scattering, absorption and extinction cross sections depend on frequency. In the lower frequency range the absorption cross section dominantly contributes to the extinction cross section and attenuation is almost in agreement with Rayleigh scattering criteria. The attenuation due to dust particles depends on the frequency, visibility, maximum particle-size, and complex permittivity. It is observed that the Rayleigh scattering could be used to predict the losses at lower frequency side of the wave. However at higher frequency side the prediction will be associated with a large deviation due to inherent limitation of the assumptions used in Rayleigh scattering