Dr. Ron Milione is a PhD Electrical Engineer working at BAE Systems as a project manager on Communications, Navigation, Reconnaissance, and Identification systems.
Basic reflection physics must start with a description of the characteristics of an electromagnetic wave and then progress to how this EM wave interacts with a target object to cause reflection.
An electromagnetic wave is the self-propagating transport of energy (voltage and current) through space, without this energy being attached or directed via some external structure such as a transmission line or wave-guide. James Clerk Maxwell showed in the 1860’s that a time changing electric field E (volts/meter) is the source for the magnetic field H (amps/meter) and, in turn, a time changing H is the source for E. Thus once an EM wave is launched, it becomes self-propagating. EM waves propagate in free space as well as inside material media. All EM waves decay in magnitude as they propagate away from their launching source due to spherical spreading, unless anomalous propagation occurs, such as in ducted propagation.
Dr. Ron Milione is a PhD Electrical Engineer working at BAE Systems as a project manager on Communications, Navigation, Reconnaissance, and Identification systems.