ATMOSPHERIC AND EXTRATERRESTRIAL EFFECTS ON RADIO WAVE PROPAGATION
Abstract
This report consists of material presented by the author as a Visiting Lecturer at the 1960 Special Summer Session, The Moore School of Electrical Engineering, University of Pennsylvania. These notes are lectures five and six of the "Modern Radar Techniques" course conducted during the period June 20 - July 1, 1960 and are for the most part revised. An important consideration which must be taken into account in the formulation and design of any radar system is the degradation in the signal-target information introduced by the atmosphere. The propagational effects which are prevalent when radio waves traverse the atmosphere manifest themselves as refractive bending, time delays, Doppler errors, rotation of the plane of polarization (Faraday effect) and attenuation. In addition, the presence of celestial radio noise sources such as the sun and radio stars are capable of reducing the overall system sensitivity. Auroral and meteoric ionization at ionospheric heights, and the moon also introduce interference and clutter problems. These phenomena are described and assessed with application to frequencies in the VHF and UHF range. The calculations which are presented are based on a normal static, undisturbed atmosphere. Atmospheric anomalies brought about by man-made artificial devices are not considered.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1960
- Accession Number
- AD0606737
Entities
People
- G. H. Millman
Organizations
- General Electric