Intensity fluctuations of reflected wave from a diffuse target with a hard edge in atmospheric turbulence

- The fluctuation of the reflected intensity from a target with a hard edge in turbulence is modeled.
- The backscattering enhancement effect is considered.
- The smoothing effect of the hard aperture on the reflected intensity is discussed.

The intensity fluctuation of the reflected field from a diffuse circular plate with a hard edge in turbulence is investigated by combining the Rytov theory and the Extended Huygens-Fresnel principle. The normalized covariance and variance of the reflected intensity are formulated and calculated. The enhancement effect on the normalized variance is discussed around the backscattering direction, which disappears rapidly as the receiving point moves away from the transmitting center. The “averaging effect” of the target aperture is also discussed, and the results show that the normalized variance and the backscattering enhancement effect decreases with increasing target size.