Millimeter-wave scattering and penetration in isolated vegetation structures

A novel numerical algorithm based on the radiative transfer equation (RTE) is presented, which allows the calculation of the scattering and penetratio n of isolated vegetation specimens such as, e.g., single trees, bushes, etc ., at mm-wave frequencies. For this purpose, the RTE is stated in a discret e form, and the vegetation structure is discretized in elementary volumes. A step-by-step solution is proposed to solve for the desired attenuation, a nd indications on the influence of the different parameters on the propagat ion characteristics are given. A qualitative justification to the approach is presented and finally, a comparison with scattering measurements of ficu s trees at 75 GHz is shown.