DEPOLARIZING TRIHEDRAL CORNER REFLECTORS FOR RADAR NAVIGATION AND REMOTE-SENSING

A conventional trihedral corner reflector can be modified to present e ither a twist-polarizing or a circularly polarizing response by adding conducting fins or rectangular corrugations of prescribed dimensions and orientation to one of its interior surfaces. Since the modified re flector retains most of the mechanical ruggedness and ease of manufact ure of the original, it is suitable for deployment in the field for ex tended periods as required in radar navigation and remote sensing appl ications. For most directions of incidence the response of the reflect or is dominated by triple-bounce reflections from the interior and is a function of the size and shape of the reflecting panels, the dimensi ons of the corrugations, and the orientation of the reflector with res pect to the radar. Experimental results show that prototype twist-pola rizing and circularly polarizing reflectors respond as predicted.