Reflexion Levels and Coupling Regions in a Horizontally Stratified Ionosphere

The propagation of radio waves through a horizontally stratified and slowly varying ionosphere is governed, in the case of oblique incidence, by a quartic equation (Booker 1938). Ray theory breaks down when two roots of this quartic are equal, for then coupling occurs between the characteristic wave...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A: Mathematical and physical sciences 1959-10, Vol.252 (1004), p.53-68
Main Author: Pitteway, M. L. V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Angle of incidence
Damping
Earth ionosphere
Equation roots
Ionospheres
Radio scattering
Resonance scattering
Wave equations
Wave packets
Zero
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Summary:The propagation of radio waves through a horizontally stratified and slowly varying ionosphere is governed, in the case of oblique incidence, by a quartic equation (Booker 1938). Ray theory breaks down when two roots of this quartic are equal, for then coupling occurs between the characteristic waves, and full wave theory must be used. This paper is concerned with determining the conditions under which the two roots are equal; it is not concerned with the full wave theory. Values of the plasma frequency, and electron collision frequency, which lead to equal roots, are determined, and are exhibited in a set of curves. A full solution of the ‘Booker’ quartic is also given for a case of special interest. It is pointed out that the electric wave-field is unlikely to become very large in a slowly varying ionosphere, so that, if the ionosphere were irregular, scattering cannot be unduly enhanced by a plasma resonance.
ISSN:1364-503X
0080-4614
1471-2962
2054-0272
DOI:10.1098/rsta.1959.0014