Probing atmospheric water vapor profiles via multiple scattering of electromagnetic waves

A theoretical analysis on the multiple scattering of electromagnetic waves propagating in a finite inhomogeneous medium is presented and applied to the study of wave propagation in a clear atmosphere (fine weather conditions). It is shown that the analysis offers a method of synthesizing the water vapor density profile in a clear atmosphere by measuring the resultant reflections from the density profile at several different frequencies. It is also shown that the resultant reflection emerges as the consequence of multiple scattering of partial reflections from various parts of the inhomogeneous medium. The solutions of the multiple scattering approach are shown to be more accurate than those of the WKB approach, which neglects the multiple scattering effects.