Scattering of a Gaussian laser beam by a large perfectly conducting cylinder: Physical optics and exact solutions

Two particularly accurate solutions representing the scatter of a Gaussian laser beam from a perfectly conducting cylinder, one a physical optics solution using a series Green's function and the other an exact solution, are developed. A comparison of their resulting numerical data follows in order to validate the two solutions. The practicality of these solutions is then demonstrated by using the exact solution to plot the power distribution of the scattered beam on a sensor, and to confirm that the strategic placement of a cylinder in the path of a laser beam enables amplification of the laser beam deflection angle.