Multiple scattering in heterogeneous media with spherical inclusions

This paper presents an analytic model allowing, by using an iterative method, to take into account the multiple scattering effects in heterogeneous media with spherical inclusions. The MIE formalism, used in the case of a single sphere, is extended to calculate the multiple scattered fields between several particles. The translational addition theorems for vector spherical wave functions are used in order to express the electromagnetic field scattered by a sphere S_i in terms of an incident field for a sphere S_k in a spherical coordinates system attached to the sphere S_k. A comment about the numerical problems of convergence induced by this method is made. Computer times are given. Numerical results of RCS of systems of three and four spheres are compared with free-space measurements made by using vectorial network analyzers. Some numerical results of more developed systems of spheres are presented