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Diffraction from discrete and homogeneously structured ionospheric irregularities
Author(s) -
Heron M. L.
Publication year - 1979
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/rs014i001p00097
Subject(s) - scintillation , interplanetary scintillation , diffraction , ionosphere , optics , physics , fading , amplitude , radio wave , electron density , boundary (topology) , computational physics , mathematics , electron , telecommunications , computer science , geophysics , mathematical analysis , channel (broadcasting) , plasma , coronal mass ejection , quantum mechanics , detector , solar wind
Diffraction patterns produced by isolated irregularities have a maximum fading depth at radio frequencies near 0.6 ƒ T where ƒ T , the transition frequency, is a property of the electron density irregularity and marks the boundary between geometric and physical optics. A nearly homogeneous assembly of irregularities can produce scintillation which is speciously random. For such an assembly a peak in scintillation depth is also produced just below the mean f T . At radio frequencies below the scintillation is fast and frequency independent; above ƒ¯ T the amplitude pattern is directly related to the ionospheric structure.