Comparison of Surface and Volume Currents Models for Electromagnetic Scattering From Finite Dielectric Cylinders

The accuracy of modeling plane wave scattering by dielectric cylinders of finite length and circular cross section for microwave remote sensing applications is investigated. Exact expressions for their scattering cross section do not exist, leading to the use of approximate analytical methods. Two widely used models, based on the approximation of the induced currents, are considered here, and the validity of their results is evaluated by comparison with a corresponding numerical solution.