Investigation of the radar cross section caused by plasma produced by alpha nuclei at altitudes of sea level, 1 Km, and 2 km for a flat plate

Methods for reducing the radar cross section (RCS) are important research topics, and the use of radionuclide layer (RNL) is one of the methods for reducing the radar cross section, which causes absorption, scattering of electromagnetic waves, and reduction of the return wave from the target. Radar cross section (RCS) can be categorized as either bistatic or monostatic. The transmitter and receiver are placed at different locations in a bistatic setup. In contrast, a monostatic RCS describes a configuration where both the transmitter and receiver share the same location. In this article, we consider alpha-emitting nuclei of Americium-241 as a coating on the surface of a 20 × 20 cm flat plate. We then used the MCNPX code to calculate the range of alpha particles and the electron density produced by the interaction of alpha particles with air molecules at sea level, 1 Km, and 2 Km altitudes. Using CST software, the bistatic radar cross section of a flat conductive plate in the presence and absence of plasma coatings created by alpha nuclei with an activity of 1 Ci/cm$^{2}$ at sea level, 1 Km, and 2 Km altitudes has been simulated and calculated. The results obtained for the 4 GHz frequency show values of approximately 8, 4.5, and 4 dB/m$^{2}$ at sea level, 1 Km, and 2 Km, respectively, compared to the absence of plasma at sea level.