Bibliography On The Theory Of Diffraction And Propagation Of Radio Waves

This bibliography emphasizes tropospheric scattering of radio waves by turbulence-induced inhomogeneities of the dielectric constant (local wave velocity in the atmosphere). Papers on related topics such as turbulence theory and measurements, statistics, instrumentation and some papers on sound scattering are also included. This bibliography covers material up to about January 1960.

In this report, a method is developed for the quantitative evaluation of the effects of large irregularities or obstacles on the propagation of a radio wave. The fundamental tool used is Keller's "geometrical theory of diffraction." In contrast to previous methods for treating this problem, the one proposed here is not limited by 1) the type of terrain, 2) the polarization of the transmitting antenna, 3) the radiation pattern of the antenna, and 4) the frequency of the antenna (provided ka>̲ 5.0, where a is the characteristic dimension of the diffracting obstacle). A numerical example showing the antenna pattern behind a hemispherical hill illustrates the application of the theory.

Based on his many years of professional experience at leading companies in communications technology, the author describes an analytical solution for wave propagation over the sea surface in an atmospheric boundary layer. His approach allows the detailed analysis of combined effects of diffraction, refraction and scattering in random media. While specific applications covered are targeted at radio wave propagation over the sea surface, a similar approach is applicable to many problems in underwater acoustics, seismology, solid matter physics and astrophysics.