Analysis of the Influence of a Uniform Hydrometeorological Formation on the Polarization Characteristics of an Electromagnetic Wave

Abstract

The influence of a homogeneous medium filled with water droplets on the polarization structure of electromagnetic waves propagating in it, emitted in series with horizontal and circular (e.g., right-handed) polarization, is considered. An approach is proposed for estimating the influence of the resulting transformation of the polarization structure on the magnitude of the modified radar reflectivity, based on the use of the functional dependence of the components of the Jones vector on the angle of ellipticity and the tilt angle of the polarization ellipse. A distinguishing feature of the proposed approach consists in the relationships calculated using it for determining the modified radar reflectivity, obtained for the case of backscattering by the medium, where the orientation of the polarization basis of the medium is different from that of the measurement basis. Estimates of the modified radar reflectivity have been obtained, allowing one to determine regions with elevated values of this parameter.