Influence of short gravity waves on thermal radio emission of water surface

An experimental study is presented of the thermal radio emission caused by short waves, accompanied by a quantitative interpretation of the data obtained. Emphasis is on an analysis of the variation in radio brightness contrast as a function of steepness of the short gravity waves, measured by means of a high-frequency radiometer operating in the lambda = 0.8 cm range. Waves were artificially generated in a small channel, wavelength 8 to 40 cm, height 0.6 to 3 cm. Due to the high sensitivity of the radiometric apparatus used, effects were recorded which were related to the influence of the profile and steepness of the short gravity waves. The possibility of using the geometrical optics approximation for quantitative interpretation of the experimental data is demonstrated. The model is based on essentially non-Gaussian statistics of slopes corresponding to quasimonochromatic waves of finite amplitude.