ELEMENTARY PROBLEMS IN HAMILTONIAN OPTICS
Abstract
Synge's formulation for Hamilton's theory of geometric optics is used to specify the rays for a variety of problems. Based upon the analogy between ray and particle trajectories, an attempt is made to treat the problem of beyond-the-horizon atmospheric propagation. It is shown that the observed propagation law (e to the (-ks) power) can be motivated from the concept that the received signal is the sum of the Hamilton rays linking the transmitter and receiver. This implies three differences with respect to the Booker-Gordon theory for the everpresent scatter signal: a change in the correlation function from exponential to Gaussian; adoption of millimeters as the size of the characteristic fluctuations; and an extension of the critical volume to include manyfold scatter in the tropospheric path from the optical horizon to the receiver.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Apr 01, 1967
- Accession Number
- AD0652652
Entities
People
- Paul J. Nawrocki
Organizations
- MITRE Corporation