These articles address the remote sensing of metallic objects
at radar, infra-red, and visible frequencies.
Metal Objects in Radiation Fields
This article develops a description of radar cross section in the physical optics limit. Analytical expressions are developed for the radar cross section of various simple shapes.
This article addresses in more detail the thermal, emissive, and reflective behavior of spheres in earth and sun radiation fields. Three different emissivity models are considered. Specular and diffuse reflection are considered, as are point and extended sources.
This article and figures summarizes the geometric optics limit of the interaction of electromagnetic waves with metals. The components of the description are a complex index of refraction that depends on frequency and conductivity, and the Fresnel equations describing the reflection and transmission of a monochromatic wave incident on a planar surface. From this follows a characterization of the heating and emissivity of metals at frequencies below the visible. I address the specific case of the heating and equilibrium of a metal surface exposed to earth and sun radiation fields.
A follow-on calculation provides the perpendicular and parallel components of the emissivity of a metal.