The Propagation of Radio Waves: The Theory of Radio Waves of Low Power in the Ionosphere and Magnetosphere

by K. G. Budden

Overview

This book is concerned with the ionosphere and the magnetosphere, and the theory of their effect on radio waves. It includes accounts of some mathematical topics now widely used in this study, particularly W. K. B. approximations, Airy integral functions and integration by steepest descents. The subject is divided into ray theory and full wave theory. Ray theory is useful for high frequencies when the ionosphere is treated as a horizonally stratified medium. The discussion of the magnetosphere, whose structure is more complicated, includes an account of whistlers and ion cyclotron whistlers. The book has been planned both for final year undergraduates and as a reference book for research. It is suitable as a course book on radio propagation for students of physics or electrical engineering or mathematics. Some of the topics are presented from an elementary viewpoint so as to help undergraduates new to the subject. The later parts are more advanced. Because the subject is so large and has seen many important recent advances, some topics have had to be treated briefly, but there is a full bibliography with about 600 references.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780521369527
Publisher:	Cambridge University Press
Publication date:	08/04/1988
Pages:	688
Product dimensions:	7.56(w) x 9.29(h) x 1.57(d)

Table of Contents

Preface; 1. The ionosphere and magnetosphere; 2. The basic equations; 3. The constitutive relations; 4. Magnetoionic theory I. Polarisation and refractive index; 5. Magnetoionic theory II. Rays and group velocity; 6. Stratified media. The booker quartic; 7. Slowly varying medium. The W.K.B. solution; 8. The Airy integral function and the Stokes phenomenon; 9. Integration by steepest descents; 10. Ray tracing in a loss-free stratified medium; 11. Reflection and transmission coefficients; 12. Ray theory results for isotropic ionosphere; 13. Ray theory results for anisotropic plasmas; 14. General ray tracing; 15. Full wave solutions for isotropic ionosphere; 16. Coupled wave eqations; 17. Coalescence of couling points; 18. Full wave methods for anisotropic stratified media; 19. Applications of full wave methods; Answers to problems; Bibliography; Index of definitions of the more important symbols; Subject and name index.

Editorial Reviews

"...recommended as an essential part of the libraries of all workers involved in any aspect of ionospheric radio communication or radio soundings of the ionosphere." Science

From the Publisher