Backscattering enhancement of electromagnetic waves from two-dimensional perfectly conducting random rough surfaces: a comparison of Monte Carlo simulations with experimental data

Predictions of an exact numerical model for scattering from a surface randomly rough in two directions are compared with experimental data. The numerical model is based on Monte Carlo simulation using an iterative version of the method of moments known as the sparse-matrix flat-surface iterative approach (SMFSIA). Experimental data is obtained from millimeter wave laboratory experiments in which the bistatic scattering patterns of fabricated surfaces with known statistical parameters were measured. The surfaces studied have both a Gaussian height distribution and correlation function, so that their statistics are characterized by an rms height and correlation length. An rms height of 1 wavelength and correlation lengths ranging from 1.41-3 wavelengths are investigated in this paper, and the phenomenon of backscattering enhancement is observed both in the numerical predictions and experimental data. A comparison of the absolute value of the bistatic scattering coefficient as normalized by the incident power shows the theory and experiment to be in good agreement.