Analytical Model for the Maximum Radar Cross Section of Dielectric Trihedral Corner Reflectors

Millimeter wave measurements and simulations of dielectric trihedral corner reflectors are presented. Similar to conventional metallic corner reflectors they exhibit retroreflective properties but show interference effects for perpendicular incidence. This leads to significantly fluctuating values of the radar cross section in dependency of the reflector size and material constants. A mathematical proof is given, showing that the path length through a trihedral is constant for perpendicular incidence. This serves as the basis for deriving an analytical model of the radar cross section to evaluate design parameters for dielectric corner reflectors.