Chandrasekhar Theory of Ellipsoidal Electromagnetic Scatterers

TL;DR

This paper develops a rapid, essentially exact model for electromagnetic scattering from ellipsoidal targets across a broad frequency range, aiding remote sensing and detection of metallic objects.

Contribution

It applies Chandrasekhar's electrostatics theory to create an efficient, accurate model for low- to intermediate-frequency electromagnetic responses of ellipsoids, bridging previous high-frequency models.

Findings

Model matches experimental data well across frequency ranges.

Provides a comprehensive tool for electromagnetic scattering predictions.

Enhances rapid identification of buried metallic targets.

Abstract

A number of new problems in remote sensing and identification of buried compact metallic targets motivate the search for new models that, if not exact, at least enable extremely rapid numerical predictions of electromagnetic scattering/induction data. Here the elegant Chandrasekhar theory of the electrostatics of charged ellipsoids is used to develop an essentially exact, extremely efficient description of low- to intermediate frequency (or late- to intermediate-time) responses of ellipsoidal targets. Comparisons with experimental data demonstrate that, together with a previously developed theory of the high frequency (or early time) regime, the results serve to cover the entire dynamic range encountered in typical measurements.