Long Sea: Modeling of RF propagation over long sea surfaces with 3D material discontinuities

Abstract

Abstract This proposal addresses the development of a robust computational model for the analysis of EM field propagation over long stretches of sea (hundreds to thousands of meters) in the presence of realistic three dimensional (3D) variations of the environment, in order to more accurately predict the electromagnetic properties of naval platforms. The key variations being addressed are: (a) variation of the sea surface topography in the direction transverse to the signal propagation, (b) variation of the dielectric properties of the atmosphere transverse to the principal direction of signal propagation, including sharp vertical profiles. In previous ONR funded work it has been shown that by rigorously enforcing electromagnetic equivalence theorems in the Finite Difference Time Domain computational method, 2D sea-atmosphere boundary propagation problems over 30,000 wavelengths long can be tackled. The techniques introduced extend directly into 3D and thus, in addition to providing full-physics validation for approximate 2D codes used today to analyze these problems, the proposed work will address unanswered questions such as the role of out-of-plane forward scattering in shaping the final distant field and the strength of refractive effects due to transverse variations in an atmospheric duct. In Year 1 the method will be applied to analyze realistic and severe ducting problems in 2D to benchmark against currently used 2D approximate methods. Success will lead in Year 2 to extending the sea surface in the third dimension to analyze out-of-plane scatter, and in Year 3 the 3D surface and atmospheric duct interaction will be analyzed.

Document Details

Document Type
DoD Grant Award
Publication Date
May 22, 2016
Source ID
N000141512067

Entities

People

  • Rodolfo Diaz

Organizations

  • Arizona State University
  • Office of Naval Research
  • United States Navy

Tags

Readers

  • Electromagnetic Wave Scattering and Antenna Radiation Engineering
  • Ocean-Atmosphere Mesoscale Modeling, Data Assimilation, and Flux Boundary Layers
  • Wave Propagation and Nonlinear Chaotic Dynamics.