Propagation Characteristics of VLF Waves Below a Stratified and Generally Anisotropic Ionosphere.
Abstract
The research constitutes one method of formulation for the calculation of very low frequency radio wave propagation characteristics of the earth-ionosphere waveguide. It involves a brief consideration of some general properties of the ionosphere which influence the propagation of VLF (very low frequencies) waves. In the analysis, the waveguide is the area formed by the earth and the lower conducting region of the ionosphere. The propagation characteristics are obtained from the solution of a modal equation which is formulated directly in terms of the reflection coefficients of both the ionosphere and earth. The coupled vacuum mode theory of Poeverlein is extended to include the earth's curvature effects by assuming the ionosphere as a cylindrical stratified medium. The modal equation is solved by an iterative procedure and propagation characteristics are obtained for a variety of ionospheric conditions for different directions of propagation. A comparison of the numerical results is made with different formulations in the literature. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 1972
- Accession Number
- AD0754033
Entities
People
- David W. Pidwell
Organizations
- Ohio University