Theory of Radio Propagation in Inhomogeneous Media (The Eikonal Method)

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical framework based on geometrical optics to predict radio wave trajectories in the ionosphere, an inhomogeneous medium, aiding in more accurate radio link forecasting.

Contribution

It introduces a new application of the eikonal method for modeling radio wave propagation in the ionosphere's inhomogeneous environment.

Findings

Developed a theoretical basis for radio wave trajectory prediction.

Applied geometrical optics methods to inhomogeneous media.

Supported numerical trajectory calculations in ionospheric conditions.

Abstract

The Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia has been involved since its foundation in the forecast of the conditions in which a radio link that makes use of propagation by means of ionospheric wave takes place. In the last times it gained interest also the precise forecast of the trajectory covered by a radio wave propagating into the atmosphere, specifically into the ionosphere, which can be considered, at first approximation, as an inhomogeneous medium, defined by a refraction index slowly varying in time. This work describes the theoretical bases to study a trajectory; they substantially make use of the methods of the geometrical optics. Such theoretical bases find applications in numerical methods to calculate the trajectories, as quoted in references [Bianchi, 2009].