Scalar scattering characteristics of a periodic, impenetrable surface: Effect of surface modeling errors

Use is made of the T-matrix method to examine the effect of surface profile modeling errors in studying the scalar scattering responses of impenetrable, periodic surfaces. It is shown that even small errors can alter the maximum surface slope significantly, thereby taxing the resources of numerical procedures and severely limiting their scopes of applicability. However, it is possible that the power diffraction coefficients are not very different when calculations are made with and without these errors. Possible implications for using such methods in order to understand the scattering behavior of fractal surfaces are discussed.