An approximate analysis of the diffraction losses in corner reflectors

The fundamental mechanism of energy loss from a Gaussian beam scattered by the edge of a corner reflector is considered. An independent calculation is performed to estimate the relative losses for different polarizations with allowance for the Goos-Hanchen shift effect. For the angle of incidence α = π/4, the relative energy losses by waves polarized along the reflector’s edge and normally to this direction are estimated at (W dif/W inc)E ≃ 7.03(λ0/a) and (W dif/W inc)H ≃ 3.82(λ0/a), respectively, where λ0 is the wavelength in free space and a is the effective radius of the beam.