A.L. Sokolov, V.V. Murashkin, B.B. Shkurskii

In this paper, the influence of the corner cube retro-reflector (CCR) heating on the far field diffraction pattern of the reflected radiation is investigated. The accepted model of heating has allowed obtaining the formula of focal length for an equivalent thin lens which changes the far field diffraction pattern. The calculation shows that heating or cooling of the CCR-s entrance side leads to spatial distribution of an index of the CCR material-s refraction. This is equivalent to occurrence of a lens for leaving radiation and to respective alteration of the far field diffraction pattern in the elementary model of heating. In case of a non-uniform heating of the CCR with metalized sides, the cross section essentially increases for an optimum direction of light reflected reception from the GLONASS retro-reflectors. In case of a non-uniform heating of the CCR with total internal reflection the cross section changes: there is a swapping of energy from the central stain in a maximum of the second order (the second ring). However, for an optimum direction of reception (the first maximum), the size of the cross section changes poorly at about two degrees gradient of temperature.