Model Computations of Radio Wave Scintillation Caused by Equatorial Bubbles.
Abstract
The apparent inhomogeneous nature of the equatorial electron density irregularities indicate that a new approach to the scintillation theory is required. Based on the available in situ electron density measurements and theoretical information a simple two-dimensional, deterministic model of the equatorial bubble is developed. The parabolic equation for a wave traversing such a bubble is solved numerically. The computed amplitude pattern suggests that wave diffraction on edges formed by sharp horizontal electron density gradients may be a possible cause of scintillation at gigahertz frequencies. Comparison with the results obtained for a model of random irregularities with the same power spectrum shows that the medium characterized by sharp electron density gradients leads to stronger scintillation in a wide frequency range. The amplitude pattern, scintillation index, frequency dependence and scatter plots computed for the model agree well with observations. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jul 01, 1979
- Accession Number
- ADA077028
Entities
People
- A. W. Wernik
Organizations
- University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign