Ray Tracing on Stratified Plane Ionosphere Model

Wave propagation in high frequency (HF) band gives the opportunity of reliable and robust long distance communication. HF communication is provided as a result of refraction and reflection of sky wave in the ionosphere. The structure of the ionosphere is time dependent, inhomogeneous and anisotropic. Modeling of the ionosphere and wave propagation in the ionosphere properly is very important for HF signal communication techniques. The first step of development of models in this scope is to evaluate the ionosphere as a plane stratified structure. Ray tracing techniques are widely applied to calculate the propagation of wave in the ionosphere. In this study, under the plane stratified model of the ionosphere and ray tracing depending on Snell´s law conditions, propagation of the waves through the ionosphere and the distribution of the points which the waves reached on the Earth are examined.