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Radar cross section measurements and vertical incidence effects observed with Platteville at reduced power
Author(s) -
Utlaut W. F.,
Violette E. J.,
Melanson L. L.
Publication year - 1974
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/rs009i011p01033
Subject(s) - ionosphere , power (physics) , radar cross section , ionization , radar , cross section (physics) , physics , scattering , incoherent scatter , optics , electric field , computational physics , remote sensing , telecommunications , geology , geophysics , computer science , ion , astronomy , quantum mechanics
During the past four years, experiments using high power, high frequency transmitters have demonstrated that significant modification of the F region of the ionosphere can be effected. This paper illustrates that relatively low power, creating power flux densities in the F region of the order of 1 μw m −2 , can also produce significant modification in the ionosphere. Such low power illuminations create field‐aligned ionization irregularities that produce a significant scattering cross section in the modified ionosphere. It permits propagation of VHF signals over selected long distance paths that could not be used by natural means.