THE EFFECT OF THE EARTH-IONOSPHERE WAVEGUIDE ON WHISTLERS

Abstract

The ray-theory (geometrical-optics) method is presented for the calculation of the effect of the earth-ionosphere waveguide on whistlers and other VLF signals. This model is the first one to include the total field excited by an elliptically polarized wave and the effect of the coupling between the horizontal (perpendicular) and vertical (parallel) components of the field resulting from the presence of the earth's magnetic field. The results show that this relatively simple model can explain most of the experimental results, including field-strength variations, apparent polarization, and apparent arrival angles. This agreement gives significant support to the duct theory of propagation. There is no theory that would explain most of the experimental results in terms of a signal arriving directly at the receiver from the direction of the magnetic field. Furthermore, these results provide for the first time a basis for evaluating the performance of antenna systems used in whistler observation and for estimating the effective area of a whistler.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jul 17, 1961
Accession Number
AD0262348

Entities

People

  • J. H. Crary

Organizations

  • Stanford University

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Advanced Electronics
  • Air Platforms

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Angle Of Arrival
  • Angle Of Incidence
  • Computer Programs
  • Computers
  • Coordinate Systems
  • Direction Finding
  • Electrons
  • Frequency
  • Geometry
  • Goniometers
  • Magnetic Fields
  • Measurement
  • Orientation (Direction)
  • Refraction
  • Refractive Index
  • Transmission Lines

Readers

  • Electromagnetic Wave Scattering and Antenna Radiation Engineering
  • Plasma Physics / Magnetohydrodynamics
  • Wave Propagation and Nonlinear Chaotic Dynamics.