Scattering by imperfectly conducting wires

An integral equation is developed for the current induced in a slender, imperfectly conducting wire of finite length by an incident plane wave. A system of linear equations is generated by enforcing the integral equation at a discrete set of points on the axis of the wire, and these equations are solved to determine the current distribution. The scattered fields and the echo area are then calculated in a straightforward manner. Numerical results are presented for the backscatter echo area of copper, platinum, and bismuth wires at the broadside aspect with lengths up to
1.8\lambda
. These calculations show good agreement with experimental measurements. In addition, graphs are included to show the current distributions on these wires at the second resonance, the echo-area patterns for oblique incidence, and the broadside echo-area curves for perfectly conducting wires and copper wires with lengths up to
3.54\lambda
.