A Variable Step Length Hybrid Approach for Electromagnetic Ray Tracing in Ionosphere

Abstract

This paper proposes a variable step length hybrid approach for electromagnetic ray tracing in the ionosphere. The proposed approach adopts a variable step length with discrete intervals, which are adaptable to both the gradient of the electron density of the ionosphere and the curvature of the electromagnetic ray paths. The variable step length approach was then combined with the fourth-order Runge-Kutta (RK) method to solve the differential equations governing the electromagnetic ray path through the ionosphere. Numeric simulation results of several typical scenarios of ionosphere with a parabolic model show obvious improvement in the accuracy of the electromagnetic ray tracing, especially for lower-elevation angles.