An application of Lippman-Schwinger integral equation to the scattering of electromagnetic waves by vegetation components

The Lippman-Schwinger integral equation (LSIE) approach is used to calculate electromagnetic scattering by vegetation components. The vegetation components are modeled as cylindrical structures of complex dielectric constant. These cylindrical structures can be made to resemble circular discs to model deciduous leaves or they can resemble circular cylinders to model coniferous leaves and tree branches. For a plane-wave exciting a vegetation component, the LSIE is applied twice. First it is applied inside the vegetation component to obtain the inner field, and then it is applied outside the component to obtain the scattered field in terms of the inner field. Illustrative numerical results for the bistatic scattering, extinction, and absorption cross sections are given using parameter values typical of actual vegetation components. The validity of the approach is justified by comparing measured values with calculated values.<>