On the elemination of infinities in the PO component of equivalent edge currents

Equivalent edge currents for the Physical Optics (PO) contribution to the edge diffraction are derived by choosing a proper coordinate system for a half plane. It is seen that these expressions for the PO component are free from singularities except at shadow and reflection boundaries on the Keller Cone. To find the total diffracted field, the expressions for the fringe contribution given earlier by Michaeli should be used along with the PO contribution obtained here. The procedure is applied to the problems of backscattering from square and triangular plates. Higher order diffractions are also accounted for by combining the equivalent currents with the Uniform Theory of Diffraction (UTD). The results obtained are compared with previous solutions and measured data.