Asymptotic theory of the diffraction of a plane electromagnetic wave on an ideally conducting body of revolution

An asymptotic solution is obtained to the three-dimensional problem of the diffraction of a plane electromagnetic wave on an ideally conducting body of revolution in the shadow region. The solution is applied to the study of ray and caustic patterns on an elongated spheroid, taking account of eccentricity and the angle of wave incidence, and attention is also given to the current distribution on the shaded part of the arbitrary body of revolution. A study of ray and caustic patterns reveals an interference structure of fields and currents in the shadow region and the focusing of these fields and currents on caustics of complex shape.