Efficient and accurate computational electromagnetics approach to precipitation particle scattering analysis based on higher-order method of moments integral equation modeling

A new full-wave computational electromagnetics (CEM) approach to precipitation particle scattering analysis based primarily on a higher-order method of moments (MoM) for solving surface integral equations (SIEs) is proposed, as an alternative and addition to the conventionally used tools in this area. This is a well-established CEM approach that has not been applied, evaluated, discussed, or compared with other approaches in the scattering analysis of precipitation particles so far. Several characteristic examples of scattering from precipitation particles of various shapes demonstrate the capabilities and potential of the presented numerical methodology, and discuss its advantages over both discrete dipole approximation (DDA) and T-matrix methods in cases considered. In particular, it is shown that the higher-order MoM-SIE approach is much faster, more accurate, and more robust than the DDA method, and much more general and versatile than the T-matrix method. In addition, the paper illustrates problems with the convergence of the DDA method in some cases with high-contrast dielectric materials and large electrical sizes of particles and with the convergence of the T-matrix method in some cases with electrically large or geometrically complex (viz., with a large aspect ratio) particles. For simulations of continuously inhomogeneous scatterers (e.g., melting ice particles), a higher-order MoM volume integral equation (VIE) technique is used, as the study's secondary methodology. The results also indicate the necessity for numerically rigorous and computationally efficient realistic precipitation particle modeling in weather scattering applications, which is becoming even more important as the sensor frequencies of radar/radiometric systems are increasing. © 2015 American Meteorological Society.