Abstract
A thorough examination of the far field electromagnetic scattering characteristics of a spherically symmetric plasma indicates quite clearly the possibility of obtaining ambiguous results from microwave measurements. This ambiquity arises because of an interdependence of the average plasma frequency and the surface diffusivity. In order to differentiate between these two physical causes, an analysis of the differential scattered intensity is undertaken. This latter quantity is found to be extremely sensitive to variations in plasma frequency and surface diffusivity and may be used to separate the effects of each.