radar cross-section

A normalized log–log plot of the radar cross section of a metallic sphere as a function of the radiation frequency. For cases in which the circumference of the sphere is less than three-fourths of the wavelength, the radar cross section is approximately proportional to ƒ (ƒ=the frequency of radiation). For cases in which the circumference of the sphere is greater than 20 wavelengths, the radar cross section is approximately the same as the physical cross section of the sphere. This plot is known as Mie scattering. A typical RCS diagram (using the A-26 Invader as the scattering object). The diagram is a polar plot of the RCS as a function of angle, with the image of the plane in the center helping to relate the angles in the diagram to physical features of the scattering object

Radar cross section (RCS), denoted σ, also called radar signature, is a measure of how detectable an object is by radar. A larger RCS indicates that an object is more easily detected.