Reflection of Electromagnetic Waves from a Rough Surface

Abstract

It is shown that in the small‐wavelength limit the cross section per unit area for backscattering of electromagnetic waves from a rough reflecting surface is given by dσ_B/dΩ=½P(ψ), where P(ψ)=the probability that the normal to the surface makes an angle ψ with respect to a reference surface. This formula was previously stated without proof in a paper by Salpeter and Treiman. For the special case of a Gaussian distribution, this result corrects a formula previously derived by Davies, and agrees with the results of Ruffine.