A model for calculating the depolarization of microwave signals propagating through rain

A model for calculating the amount of depolarization for linearly polarized electromagnetic waves propagating through rain is described. The presented method provides mathematical expressions for the co-polar and the cross-polar components of the received signal emerging from a rain cell. Calculations are carried out in two ways: with a general distribution of canting angles as measured by Saunders and with an equivalent canting angle together with the associated percentages of the positively and the negatively canted raindrops in a rain cell. The predicted attenuation and the cross polarization as calculated by both methods are found to be in good agreement with the published data measured by various workers.