Introduction

ON the basis of Maxwell's equations, together with standard boundary conditions, the scattering of electromagnetic radiation by an obstacle becomes a well-defined mathematical boundary-value problem. In the present chapter some aspects of the theory of diffraction of monochromatic waves are developed from this point of view, and in particular the rigorous solution to the classical problem of diffraction by a perfectly conducting half-plane is given in detail.

In the early theories of Young, Fresnel, and Kirchhoff, the diffracting obstacle was supposed to be perfectly ‘black’; that is to say, all radiation falling on it was assumed to be absorbed, and none reflected. This is an inherent source of ambiguity in that such a concept of absolute ‘blackness’ cannot legitimately be defined with precision; it is, indeed, incompatible with electromagnetic theory.

Cases in which the diffracting body has a finite dielectric constant and finite conductivity have been examined theoretically, one of the earliest comprehensive treatments of such a case being Mie's discussion in 1908 of scattering by a sphere, which is described in Chapter XIV in connection with the optics of metals. In general, however, the assumption of finite conductivity tends to make the mathematics very complicated, and it is often desirable to accept the concept of a perfectly conducting (and therefore perfectly reflecting) body. This is clearly an idealization, but one which is compatible with electromagnetic theory; furthermore, since the conductivity of some metals (e.g. copper) is very large, it may represent a good approximation if the frequency is not too high, though it should be stressed that the approximation is never entirely adequate at optical frequencies.