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Phase‐difference distributions in a D ‐region partial‐reflection experiment
Author(s) -
Tanenbaum B. Samuel,
Shapiro Jeffrey H.,
Reed James E.
Publication year - 1973
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 - 10.1029/rs008i005p00437
Subject(s) - scattering , phase (matter) , computational physics , physics , optics , histogram , turbulence , altitude (triangle) , reflection (computer programming) , differential phase , scale (ratio) , pulse (music) , ordinary differential equation , phenomenological model , statistical physics , mathematics , differential equation , mathematical analysis , statistics , meteorology , geometry , computer science , image (mathematics) , quantum mechanics , artificial intelligence , detector , programming language
Histograms of phase‐difference data for ordinary‐ and extraordinary‐mode signals reflected from the D region of the ionosphere are compared with two phenomenological scattering models: (a) a small‐scale homogeneous turbulence model and (b) a single reflecting‐layer model. Although the turbulence model fits the data somewhat better than the single reflecting‐layer model does, the predictions of both models are in surprisingly close agreement on virtually all aspects of differential‐phase data. In particular, both models are shown to predict a broadening of the histograms with increasing altitude as found experimentally. This is attributed to the increasing difference between the differential phases of signals scattered from the top and bottom of the scattering volume. Thus, by operating at a higher frequency or using a shorter or a coded pulse, one should obtain useful differential‐phase data at higher altitudes.