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Transmission of VLF Radio Waves Through the Ionosphere
Author(s) -
Wieder Bernard
Publication year - 1967
Publication title -
radio science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.371
H-Index - 84
eISSN - 1944-799X
pISSN - 0048-6604
DOI - 10.1002/rds196726595
Subject(s) - ionosphere , whistler , daytime , physics , attenuation , radio wave , computational physics , polarization (electrochemistry) , angle of incidence (optics) , wave propagation , ionospheric reflection , geophysics , magnetic field , electron density , optics , magnetic dip , ionospheric absorption , electron , atmospheric sciences , quantum mechanics , chemistry
The fields of 10‐kHz radio waves propagating into and through the lower ionosphere are calculated by numerical methods, and the attenuation, polarization, and power flow characteristics are examined as a function of height for daytime and nighttime ionospheric electron density profiles with varying angles of incidence, directions of propagation relative to the earth's magnetic field, and dip angle. The conclusions are that virtually all the attenuation of the wave occurs in the lower D region of the ionosphere, that the transmitted wave is nearly circularly polarized, and that the energy of the transmitted wave is traveling nearly along the magnetic lines of force in agreement with the predictions of “ray theory.” The analysis also shows the strong variation in transmission with dip angle and with change from day to night ionosphere in agreement with observed variations in intensity and in frequency of occurrence of “whistlers.”