Ionospheric Radio (Electromagnetic Waves)

Ionospheric Radio replaces an earlier publication Ionospheric Propogation and is aimed at professional scientists, engineers, and students who need an intermediate-level reference and/or text. Students of aeronomy and radio wave propogation are introduced to basic wave theory in absorbing, anisotropic and dispersive media, and to the physics of production, loss and movement of plasma in the ionosphere in the presence of the geomagnetic field. Various radio techniques are described, and applications to the interpretation of ionospheric structures and dynamics are presented. The application of ionospheric data to radio communications problems includes the use of numerical and physical models and prediction techniques, and methods for calculating signal strengths are presented. Topics include Earth-space propagation, ionospheric modification, ionospheric disturbances, propagation by scattering from plasma irregularities, topside sounding, and propagation on frequencies from the extremely low to the super high. Reference lists are extensive and a section of questions tests the reader's understanding of the material.