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Effect of small ionospheric irregularities on radio wave absorption
Author(s) -
Chen H. C.,
Fejer J. A.
Publication year - 1975
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/rs010i002p00167
Subject(s) - ionosphere , ionospheric absorption , radio wave , computational physics , electron density , absorption (acoustics) , physics , autocorrelation , standard deviation , electron , optics , geophysics , mathematics , statistics , quantum mechanics
The ionospheric absorption of a radio wave caused by small‐scale irregularities with a gaussian autocorrelation function is calculated for various values of the linear scale height, the radio frequency, the scale size of the irregularities, and the mean‐square fractional electron density fluctuations. The absorption is due to scattering of the radio wave into plasma oscillations by the irregularities. It is concluded that the absorption due to such irregularities with a mean‐square fractional electron density deviation greater than about 10 −6 exceeds the normal collisional height‐integrated absorption. Absorption of this type could play a significant part in heating experiments or in an ionosphere containing naturally occurring irregularities.