Monte Carlo simulation of scattering from a layer of vertical cylinders

Electromagnetic scattering by a collection of randomly distributed vertical cylinders over a half-space dielectric is considered, using two approaches. In the first approach, a Monte Carlo simulation that takes into account scattering terms up to second order is used. Closed-form expressions for the second-order scattering terms are derived for cylinders that are in each other´s near field. The second approach is based on the radiative transfer equations, which are solved by an iterative method up to and including the second-order terms. Radar backscatter measurements at X-band for a collection of metallic cylinders over a conducting ground plane are compared with the Monte Carlo and radiative transfer solutions. The data were acquired polarimetrically from 144 independent spots of the cylinder layer at incidence angles ranging from 20° to 60°. The simulation results agree well with the measured data and are used to check the validity of the radiative transfer results for a medium with large particles. It is shown that both the phase function computed for the cylinders and the extinction matrix of the layer are overestimated in the radiative transfer solution