Approximations for dielectric or plasma scatterers

Two approximate methods have been developed for calculating the radar cross sections of nonconducting bodies. The superposition approximation used to obtain the radar cross sections of dielectric clad bodies requires that the scattering properties of the component parts be known. The modified geometrical optics method, which yields the radar cross sections of dielectric bodies, requires no such initial information. These methods can be applied to some bodies with shapes that cannot be treated by means of the classical boundary-value solutions. Furthermore, the computations required are usually considerably simpler than for the boundary-value solutions even when the latter are obtainable.