COMPARISON OF EQUATION OF TRANSFER WITH SIMULATIONS ON LARGE ARRAYS OF CYLINDRICAL REFLECTOR ELEMENTS

The suitability of modeling an array of fixed, discrete surfaces as a homogeneous medium is investigated by comparing a Monte Carlo simulati on of the equation of transfer for the homogeneous medium with the res ults of a Monte Carlo model of the array as discrete elements. The res ults show that when ordered arrays are considered, the assumptions und erlying the equation of transfer are violated, and simulation results differ significantly from the discrete model. The results indicate tha t great care must be used when assuming that a regular array can be mo deled as a homogeneous medium.