Iterative Physical Optics for Radar Scattering Predictions

The iterative physical optics (IPO) method is applied to compute the radar cross section of electrically large and realistically complex targets. The method is based on iterative refinement of the first-order physical optics currents to include multiple interactions up to a specified order. Unlike other high-frequency asymptotic methods, no ray tracing is required, and spurious diffraction effects from non-physical shadow boundaries are avoided. Numerical results are presented to demonstrate convergence, accuracy, efficiency and robustness.