LOOP EXCITATION OF TRAVELLING WAVES
When a long, thin body is viewed at or near nose-on, a major contribution to the back-scattered field is provided by the travelling waves on the surface. To determine the role of the shadow boundary in the excitation of these waves, the more simple problem of an infinitely long circular cylinder in the presence of a ring source is considered. So that the cylinder may support a travelling wave, the surface impedance is assumed nonzero, and its magnitude is taken to be comparable with that of a typical metal at high frequencies. From the expression for the scattered field, the power going into the travelling wave, as opposed to the radiated field, is obtained. It is concluded that as a source of such waves the "launching efficiency" of a ring current is extremely small.