Scattering of electromagnetic waves by a layer of air plasma surrounding a conducting cylinder

In this paper, the total scattering and back-scattering cross-sections (respectively represented by sigma and sigma(b)) of an air plasma layer surrounding a conducting cylinder are studied. The plasma layer can be turned ON and OFF to allow for a comparison between the scattering cross-section of the bare cylinder and the plasma covered cylinder. The plasma layer is generated at atmospheric pressure, which results in a very highly collisional case. The scattered fields are calculated using a cylindrical expansion, with coefficients satisfying the appropriate boundary conditions, and which are a function of the refractive index of the air plasma. The results of our study are presented as plots of the total scattering cross-section, sigma, and back-scattering cross-section, sigma(b), versus frequency. The scattering cross-section gives an average characteristic of the scattering process from obstacles. Once the scattering cross-section is known, the actual scattered energy per unit length per second can be calculated by multiplying sigma by the incident energy per unit area per second.