Radio Wave Propagation In Ionosphere Research Articles

Features of Forecasting the Operation of Ionospheric Radio Lines in Upper Rays Modes

The frequency dependence of transmitted information qualitative indicators is analyzed on theexample of two meridional radio links: single-hop (~2600 km) and dominant two-hop (~5100 km) for basicmodes of radio wave propagation in the ionosphere. It is shown that the presence of highly efficient receivingtransmittingantennas in a radio communication system leads to the need to take the existence of a priori energeticallyextremely weak modes into account in the problem of radio path specification statement. In thiscase, we consider those formed exclusively by the mechanism of radiation transfer along the upper-angles raytrajectories in the ionospheric propagation of radio waves. If the angles of departure and arrival for suchmodes and the directions of the main lobes of the antenna patterns at the end points of the radio path coincide,the signal-to-noise ratio for the wave field can reach the required threshold value and ensure the successfuloperation of the radio communication system. This may expand the upper frequency limit for the passageof radio waves in the transition regions of jump propagation of radio waves in the ionosphere; it shouldbe taken into account in forecasting the operation of ionospheric radio links.

A Systematic Study of 7 MHz Greyline Propagation Using Amateur Radio Beacon Signals

This paper investigates 7 MHz ionospheric radio wave propagation between pairs of distant countries that simultaneously lie on the terminator. This is known as greyline propagation. Observations of amateur radio beacon transmitters recorded in the Weak Signal Propagation Reporter (WSPR) database are used to investigate the times of day that beacon signals were observed during the year 2017. The WSPR beacon network consists of thousands of automated beacon transmitters and observers distributed over the globe. The WSPR database is a very useful resource for radio science as it offers the date and time at which a propagation path was available between two radio stations, as well as their precise locations. This paper provides the first systematic study of grey-line propagation between New Zealand/Eastern Australia and UK/Europe. The study shows that communications were predominantly made from the United Kingdom (UK) to New Zealand at around both sunset and sunrise times, whereas from New Zealand to the UK, communication links occurred mainly during UK sunrise hours. The lack of observations at the UK sunset time was particularly evident during the UK summer. The same pattern was found in the observations of propagation from Eastern Australia to UK, and from New Zealand and Eastern Australia to Italy and the surrounding regions in Europe. The observed asymmetry in reception pattern could possibly be due to the increase in electromagnetic noise across Europe in the summer afternoon/evening from thunderstorms.

Electromagnetic wave propagation characteristics of oblique incidence nonlinear ionospheric Langmuir disturbance

Based on the generalized Zakharov model, a numerical model of electromagnetic wave propagating in the ionosphere at different angles is established by combining the finite difference time domain (FDTD) method of obliquely incident plasma with the double hydrodynamics equation and through equivalently transforming the two-dimensional Maxwell equation into one-dimensional Maxwell equation and the plasma hydrodynamics equation. In this paper. the dominant equation of Z-wave in obliquely incident nonlinear ionospheric plasma having been analyzed and deduced, the FDTD algorithm suitable for calculating the propagation characteristics of ionospheric electromagnetic wave is deduced. The simulation results prove the accuracy and effectiveness of this method for the Langmuir disturbance caused by electromagnetic wave heating the ionosphere at a small inclination angle. The results show that under small angle incidence, the high-power high-frequency electromagnetic wave excites the Langmuir wave near the O-wave reflection point in the ionospheric plasma. At the same time, the wave particle interaction causes the O-wave to convert into Z-wave and propagate into the higher region of the ionosphere. In this work, the electromagnetic wave propagation characteristics are further studied based on ionospheric plasma, which is helpful in laying the foundation of numerical algorithm for comprehensively and in depth analyzing the influence of ionospheric Langmuir disturbance on ionospheric radio wave propagation characteristics.

Indicators of accuracy for determining the coordinates of radio emission sources in the short wave direction finding network

Direction finding networks have found application in radio monitoring, radio intelligence and passive radar systems. The operation of the direction-finding network in the short-wave range has a number of distinctive features, namely, long range of direction finders (up to several thousand km) due to ionospheric propagation of radio waves and high sensitivity of narrow-band signal receivers. In addition, the distance between direction finders can be hundreds or thousands of kilometers. Therefore the calculations should be carried out due to the location of the direction finders and radio sources on a spherical surface. In this work, analytical relationships are obtained for calculating the accuracy indicators of the estimation of coordinate information (latitude and longitude) at the output of the direction finding network in a rather general form in relation to the features of the short-wave range. The problem is solved in a geographic coordinate system for an arbitrary number of direction finders (two at least) and with their arbitrary location on the surface of Earth. To carry out a comparative analysis and assess the quality of coordinate information for various options for placing direction finders, it is proposed to display accuracy indicators using working zones (for example, round). The use of working areas allows a visual assessment on the map overall spatial pattern for accuracy indicators direction-finding network. The results of the calculation of working areas direction-finding network shortwave when placing it on the territory of Ukraine in the case of the smallest real errors direction-finding, and a mutual separation distance finders maximum permissible selected. The calculation results reflect the limiting possibilities for the accuracy of determining the coordinates of radio emission sources for such a direction finding network with a minimum number of direction finders (3 or 4). The given method of calculating working zones allows for the implementation of the best accuracy indicators to choose a specific option for placing direction finders on the territory of the country, taking into account the influence of all factors (approach of positions, availability of access roads, conditions for accommodating service personnel, etc.). As an example, the work considers 3 options for the location of direction finders with the maximum separation on the territory of Ukraine. The developed technique can also be used for other passive radar systems with direction finding coordinates, when it is necessary to take into account the spherical form of the Earth. Such a system can include two or more aerial reconnaissance aircraft with direction finders on board, as well as one aircraft or unmanned vehicle that determines coordinates by the method of multiple direction finding on the flight route.

Adjusting CCIR Maps to Improve Local Behaviour of Ionospheric Models

The objective of this article is to present a concept for single-frequency Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) positioning local ionospheric mitigation over a certain area. This concept is based on input parameters driving the NeQuick-G algorithm (the ionospheric single-frequency GNSS correction algorithm adopted by Galileo GNSS system), estimated on a local as opposed to a global scale, from ionospheric characteristics measured by a digital ionosonde and a collocated dual-frequency Total Electron Content (TEC) monitor. This approach facilitates the local adjustment of Committee Consultative for Ionospheric Radiowave propagation (CCIR) files and the Az ionization level, which control the ionospheric electron density profile in NeQuick-G, therefore enabling better estimation of positioning errors under quiet geomagnetic conditions. This novel concept for local ionospheric positioning error mitigation may be adopted at any location where ionospheric characteristics foF2 and M(3000)F2 can be measured, as a means to enhance the accuracy of single-frequency positioning applications based on the NeQuick-G algorithm.

ПОВЫШЕНИЕ ПОМЕХОЗАЩИЩЕННОСТИ ПЕРЕДАЧ ДЕКАМЕТРОВЫХ РАДИОКАНАЛОВ В УСЛОВИЯХ НЕПРЕДНАМЕРЕННЫХ ПОМЕХ

The transmission of messages is a complex process, which is largely determined by the properties of the radio channel used. Decameter radio channels are the most difficult for organizing communication, since the ionospheric propagation of radio waves is associated with their significant attenuation, due to the significant length of the paths, as well as the presence of Rayleigh fading in the channel. However, the possibility of transmitting information over long distances without serious resource costs stimulates further research to improve the reliability of decameter radio communication. In this paper, we investigate the possibility of increasing the noise immunity of frequency-shift keying transmissions of decameter radio channels in conditions of unintentional interference due to the use of broadband signals. An analytical expression of the dependence of the probability of a bit error on the level of the ratio of the peak signal power to the peak interference power is considered; a graph of this dependence is presented. It is shown that the plot is consistent with the overall noise immunity estimate for Rayleigh fading channels using double FSK signals. The rationality of methods for obtaining the required reception quality in decameter radio channels is analyzed. It is shown that the most rational direction for increasing the noise immunity of FM-2 transmissions in decameter radio channels with Rayleigh fading in conditions of unintended interference is the use of broadband signals. In this case, for expansion, it is advisable to choose a value kf = 7, which makes it possible to increase the noise immunity by 9 dB. The conclusions are illustrated by graphs.

Pilot Ionosonde Network for Identification of Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances

AbstractTraveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs) are the ionospheric signatures of atmospheric gravity waves. Their identification and tracking is important because the TIDs affect all services that rely on predictable ionospheric radio wave propagation. Although various techniques have been proposed to measure TID characteristics, their real‐time implementation still has several difficulties. In this contribution, we present a new technique, based on the analysis of oblique Digisonde‐to‐Digisonde “skymap” observations, to directly identify TIDs and specify the TID wave parameters based on the measurement of angle of arrival, Doppler frequency, and time of flight of ionospherically reflected high‐frequency radio pulses. The technique has been implemented for the first time for the Network for TID Exploration project with data streaming from the network of European Digisonde DPS4D observatories. The performance is demonstrated during a period of moderate auroral activity, assessing its consistency with independent measurements such as data from auroral magnetometers and electron density perturbations from Digisondes and Global Navigation Satellite System stations. Given that the different types of measurements used for this assessment were not made at exactly the same time and location, and that there was insufficient coverage in the area between the atmospheric gravity wave sources and the measurement locations, we can only consider our interpretation as plausible and indicative for the reliability of the extracted TID characteristics. In the framework of the new TechTIDE project (European Commission H2020), a retrospective analysis of the Network for TID Exploration results in comparison with those extracted from Global Navigation Satellite System total electron content‐based methodologies is currently being attempted, and the results will be the objective of a follow‐up paper.

IRI model in the problem of predicting ionospheric radio-wave propagation under conditions of high solar activity

The paper presents the results of an analysis of the correspondence between model representations the monthly mean diurnal dependences of critical frequency and vertical profiles of plasma frequency at local noon at IZMIRAN station for the middle months of the four seasons of 2014, the year of the maximum solar activity in the current 24th cycle. It is shown that in general the IRI model reliably describes the daily variation of foF2, and the smallest discrepancy is achieved when its basic input parameter is given by the ionospheric index of solar activity IG12. An exception is April, for which there is a fundamental discrepancy with the model both in the daily variation of the critical frequency foF2 and in the N e (h)-profile for local noon time. For this month, the inadequacy in the model representation of the vertical distribution of the electron density turned out to be very significant in the calculation of the MUF: the relative error can reach 20%. The simulation results are confirmed by data from oblique-incidence ionospheric radio sounding.

Upgrading CCIR's [formula omitted] maps using available ionosondes and genetic algorithms

We have developed a new approach towards a new database of the ionospheric parameter foF2. This parameter, being the frequency of the maximum of the ionospheric electronic density profile and its main modeller, is of great interest not only in atmospheric studies but also in the realm of radio propagation. The current databases, generated by CCIR (Committee Consultative for Ionospheric Radiowave propagation) and URSI (International Union of Radio Science), and used by the IRI (International Reference Ionosphere) model, are based on Fourier expansions and have been built in the 60s from the available ionosondes at that time. The main goal of this work is to upgrade the databases by using new available ionosonde data. To this end we used the IRI diurnal/spherical expansions to represent the foF2 variability, and computed its coefficients by means of a genetic algorithm (GA). In order to test the performance of the proposed methodology, we applied it to the South American region with data obtained by RAPEAS (Red Argentina para el Estudio de la Atmósfera Superior, i.e. Argentine Network for the Study of the Upper Atmosphere) during the years 1958–2009. The new GA coefficients provide a global better fit of the IRI model to the observed foF2 than the CCIR coefficients. Since the same formulae and the same number of coefficients were used, the overall integrity of IRI’s typical ionospheric feature representation was preserved. The best improvements with respect to CCIR are obtained at low solar activities, at large (in absolute value) modip latitudes, and at night-time. The new method is flexible in the sense that can be applied either globally or regionally. It is also very easy to recompute the coefficients when new data is available. The computation of a third set of coefficients corresponding to days of medium solar activity in order to avoid the interpolation between low and high activities is suggested. The same procedure as for foF2 can be perfomed to obtain the ionospheric parameter M(3000)F2.

Ionospheric disturbances produced by chemical releases and the resultant effects on short-wave ionospheric propagation

[1] As an effective means to actively modify the ionosphere, chemical releases can produce artificial ionospheric holes as a consequence of ionization reduction, which can have a great impact on radio wave propagation. To investigate the morphology control of ionospheric holes by various chemical releases and the resultant effects on radio wave propagation, a quantitative numerical model is developed on the basis of the approximate solutions of the diffusion equation of single-point release in uniform atmosphere. While single-point release produces ellipsoidal ionospheric holes, multipoint release can produce other types of ionospheric holes (such as parabola-like tubular ones), which is strongly dependent on changes in the release species, release altitude, and mass of released neutral gas. Releases of both H2O and SF6 can produce ionospheric holes with a similar spatial extent, but the latter tends to result in clearer boundaries and more pronounced electron density reductions. In addition, either an increase in released amount or releases at higher altitudes can lead to a broader hole. To evaluate the effects of an ionospheric hole on radio wave propagation, three-dimensional ray tracing simulations are performed. The ellipsoidal ionospheric holes can act as a lens focusing and bending radio waves, leading to multiple wave reflections inside the holes. In contrast, in the paraboloid tubular ionospheric holes, the rays can penetrate the disturbed region or reflect back, showing a strong dependence on radio frequency. It is well demonstrated that chemical releases can efficiently give rise to artificial ionospheric disturbances and thus modify ionospheric propagation of radio waves.

Creation of artificial ionospheric layers using high‐power HF waves

We report the first evidence of artificial ionospheric plasmas reaching sufficient density to sustain interaction with a high‐power HF pump beam produced by the 3.6 MW High‐Frequency Active Auroral Program (HAARP) transmitter in Gakona, Alaska. The HF‐driven ionization process is initiated near the 2nd electron gyroharmonic at 220 km altitude in the ionospheric F region. Once the artificial plasma reaches sufficient density to support interaction with the transmitter beam it rapidly descends as an ionization wave to ∼150 km altitude. Although these initial artificial layers appear to be dynamic and highly structured, this new ability to produce significant artificial plasma in the upper atmosphere opens the door to a new regime in ionospheric radio wave propagation where transmitter‐produced plasmas dominate over the natural ionospheric plasma and may eventually be employed as active components of communications, radar, and other systems.

IRI-2001 model efficiency in ionospheric radiowave propagation forecasting

Results of data analysis referring to two type of experimental investigations are presented: (i) oblique chirp-sounding (OS) on two perpendicular paths: Inskip(GB)-IZMIRAN (∼2500 km) and Cyprus-IZMIRAN (∼2300 km) and (ii) vertical sounding at their common point (IZMIRAN). These investigations were performed in the vernal equinox periods of 2002–2007 covering like that a wide range of solar activity, for example, the mean sunspot number for March varied from 112.0 at the maximum (2002) to 4.6 at the minimum (2007). In order to improve the quality of the short-term radio wave propagation forecasting, an attempt was made to consider this combined set of experimental data from the point of view of its description made by IRI-2001 empirical model, and to examine a proposed procedure to adapt the model to the current geophysical conditions. The aim of the paper was to quantify the root-mean-square (RMS) error for two different descriptions of the behavior of maximum usable frequency (MUF) 1F2 mode: long-term – monthly averaged dependence and short-term – diurnal dynamics. These estimates are obtained as in the case of classic way of the model input parameters assignment (monthly mean sunspot number) so when solar radio flux data was considered as an additional information about the solar activity. Special emphasis is focused on the estimation of the accuracy of the short-term description, when current solar radio flux and F2-layer peak data is used as input parameters for the IRI-2001 model in the proposed procedure of its adaptation. It is shown that relative RMS error in 10% is the bottom estimation of an accuracy of MUF 1F2 in the long- and short-term forecasts, at least, for March. This limitation, apparently, is caused by a considerable discrepancy between the F1-layer electron density values obtained from the model and from the observed N(h)-profiles.

Adaptive beamforming for high-frequency over-the-horizon passive radar

Target detection and tracking systems using emitters of opportunity have received significant interest recently, especially those which exploit VHF and UHF broadcasts as signal sources in so-called passive radar systems. Here, the authors discuss an experimental system in the high-frequency (HF) band, where due to long-distance ionospheric propagation of radio waves in the 3–30 MHz spectrum, the illuminator may be located well beyond the line-of-sight. In this study, live data was recorded by a high dynamic range multi-channel digital receiver connected to a two-dimensional (L-shaped) antenna array, and signals from an uncooperative HF over-the-horizon (OTH) radar transmitter have been captured and analysed. As a preliminary step towards the development of a general HF-OTH passive radar system, the scope of this work is to compare the performance of conventional and adaptive spatial processing techniques in terms of their ability to cancel direct-wave interference and protect useful signal echoes to detect a small cooperative aircraft target. In particular, an alternative adaptive beamforming method specifically tailored to this application is proposed, and its practical performance is compared with classical and standard adaptive beamforming approaches. GPS data measured on-board the cooperative aircraft provided accurate ground truth of the flight path, enabling target profiles in bi-static range, Doppler frequency and direction-of-arrival (azimuth/elevation) to be calculated as a function of time. This information permitted the different processing schemes to be evaluated with a high degree of confidence. The experimental system and live data analysed are exclusively from the HF Radar program of the Defence Science and Technology Organisation (DSTO), Australia.

Ionospheric radio wave propagation finite element method modeling

In this work, a transionospheric propagation model is presented. The application analyzed here uses data from the Rome ionospheric station together with data from the theoretical IRI-95 and MSIS-E-90 models, in order to simulate the ionosphere. Using formulas from ionospheric propagation theory, these data form the wave equation, which is solved by means of the finite element method. Post-processing of the solution leads to the determination of the main wave propagation parameters.

Multiple quasi-parabolic presentation of the IRI profile

The paper describes the representation of any given density profile with multiple quasi-parabolic (QP) segments and the technique is applied to IRI profiles. An optimization method is introduced that automatically finds the segment boundaries and minimizes the number of segments for a specified fitting accuracy. This representation of the profiles makes it possible to use analytical ray tracing techniques for ionospheric radio wave propagation studies. The Lowell Digisondes now provide the multiple QP profiles in real time as an additional output.

Neural network prediction of HF ionospheric propagationloss

A generalised regression neural network is used to predict losses inherent in ionospheric radiowave propagation. Network inputs consist of sun declination, time of day, radio flux, geomagnetic A-index and X-ray flux. Simulations for a 400 km path demonstrate a 2.5 dB error between network predictions and actual measured values, representing a 46% reduction in errors compared to the linear regression method.

Monthly median fof2 modelling cost 251 area by neural networks

The use of a neural network to model the monthly median ionospheric foF2 frequencies has been tested in order to establish a new long-term prediction procedure to support ionospheric radiowave propagation at frequencies above 2 MHz. The neural networks (NN) have been trained with the foF2 measured data from the European ionospheric stations in three separate cases: (i) a single station model at Poitiers (46°0 N, 00°0 E) build with the classical multi-layer perceptron (MLP) with 3 inputs: hour, month and solar activity index; (ii) a modular neural network with the same inputs; (iii) a 2D model build over Europe with additional inputs: geographical latitude and longitude. In this last case, the problem of the spatial interpolations between ionospheric stations is also studied. The results are compared with those of the classical PRIME and ITU-R models.

Radiative transfer in a layer of magnetized plasma with random irregularities

The problem of radio wave reflection from an optically thick plane uniform layer of magnetized plasma is considered in the present work. The plasma electron density irregularities are described by a spatial spectrum of arbitrary form. The small-angle scattering approximation in invariant ray coordinates is proposed as a technique for the analytical investigation of the radiation transfer equation. The approximate solution describing the spatial and angular distribution of radiation reflected from a plasma layer is obtained. The solution obtained is investigated numerically for the case of ionospheric radio wave propagation. Two effects occur as a consequence of multiple scattering: a change in the reflected signal intensity and an anomalous refraction.

Finite-difference time-domain solution of Maxwell's equations for the dispersive ionosphere

The application of the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique to problems in ionospheric radio wave propagation is complicated by the dispersive nature of the ionospheric plasma. In the time domain, the electric displacement is the convolution of the dielectric tensor with the electric field, and thus requires information from the entire signal history. It is shown that this difficulty can be avoided by returning to the dynamical equations from which the dielectric tensor is derived. By integrating these differential equations simultaneously with the Maxwell equations, temporal dispersion is fully incorporated. An FDTD approach utilizing the vector wave equation is also presented. The accuracy of the method is shown by comparison for a special case for which an analytic solution is available. The method is demonstrated with examples of pulse propagation in one and two dimensions. The computational limitations of present-generation computers are discussed. The application of this approach to the study of wave propagation in randomly structured ionization is addressed.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>

Improving network stations for oblique incidence sounding of ionospheric radio wave propagation

To a classical ionospheric network station electronic devices were added fulfilling the following functions, automatically or on keyboard order: high precision timing; analogue-digital conversion (multilevel setting); noise suppression; storing of up to four processed ionograms in digital form; correlation analysis.