A numerical comparison of wedge diffraction using uniform geometrical theory of diffraction and parabolic equation methods

A traditional method often used for computing electromagnetic propagation over obstacles (hills or buildings) at radio or microwave frequencies is the uniform geometrical theory of diffraction (UTD). UTD is an asymptotic expansion of the EM field in inverse powers of the wave number, using geometrical optics ray paths as a skeleton upon which frequency dependent diffraction corrections are applied. The UTD method has been successfully applied to the problem of wedge diffraction, yielding very accurate solutions. Being an asymptotically exact method in the limit of infinite frequency, UTD methods are very robust.