Radiephysics and Quantum Electronics, Vol. 38, No.

5, 1995

ASYMPTOTICS OF EIGENWAVES OF A SMOOTH

IRREGULAR SPHERICAL ANISOTROPIC WAVEGUIDE

V. V. Novikov and Yu. N. Solov'ev UDC 538.566

Based on the Debye series modified with respect to the method of horizontal beams and vertical
modes, the asymptotics of eigenwaves of a smooth irregular anisotropic spherical anisotropic
waveguide channel is constructed.

1. In this paper we generalize the results from [1] to the case of a spherical waveguide. The asymptotics
of the eigenwaves of a smooth irregular waveguide exists in the wave region relative to the source and antipode
where ka~ >> 1 and ka(~r - 8) >> 1. Here k is the wave number in vacuum, a is the earth's radius, and 0 is
the angular distance between the source a n d the observation point. As a result, along with the smoothness
parameter [1] characterizing the slowness of variation of the waveguide properties in the directions tangent to
the earth's surface, a second parameter of smallness cot O/ka << 1 appears. Therefore, in the development
of the asymptotics of the solution of the Maxwell equations it is expedient to use a classic Debye series
(expansion of the solution in terms of the inverse powers of the wave number k) modified with respect to
the m e t h o d of horizontal rays and vertical modes.
In this paper we obtain the asymptotics in a form involving secular terms. However, correspondingly
changing the form of the asymptotic expansion, we achieve the case where the corrections to the adiabatic
approximation are free from these terms [1, 2].

2. The harmonic-in-time (e - i w t ) electromagnetic fields in a cold plasma with the tensor of relative
complex permittivity g(r~ w) outside the sources are governed by the homogeneous Maxwell equations

rotE=ik~, rot~=-ikgE, (1)

in which k = w Ex/-g-~fi~ is the wave number in vacuum, and ~ = Zo/t, and. Zo = = (#o/~o) z/2 is the
characteristic impedance of the vacuum. Using the spherical coordinate system (r, O, ~) and introducing the
vector function

= (w1,W ,w3, w4, Ws,W6) r = r O,

(2)
ff = (.E,,H )TR = (Eo,Ev, Er, me, mv, ae,.)TR ,

we write Eqs. (1) in the form

+ sin0 cot - ikri =0, (3)

State University, St. Petersburg. Translated from Izvestiya Vysshikh Uchebnykh Zavedenii, Radiofizika,
Vol. 38, No. 5, pp. 457-466, May, 1995. Original article submitted July 15, 1993.

0033-8443/95/3805-0299512.50 ~1996 Plenum Publishing Corporation 299

where
0 0 0 0 0 1
0 0 0 -1 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 - 1 -0 0
,Fv =
0 0 0 0 0 1
0 0 -1 0 0 0 0 0
0 1 0 -1 0 0

0 0 0 D 0
0 0 0 -D 0 0
0 1 0 0 0
, i,=
0 0 0 D 0
0 1 0 -D 0 0
1 0 0 0 0

1 0
D ~ I is the unit matrix.
ik Or'
To simplify the problem, it is assumed that the waveguide is confined by two ideally conducting
spherical surfaces r = rb and r = r8 located in the earth and ionosphere below and above the regions which
are significant for reflection of radiowaves, respectively. In this case the solutions of Eqs. (1) and (3) must
satisfy the b o u n d a r y conditions in the coordinate r:

E0 = Ev = 0 for r = ra, rb,

hence
W1=1472=0 for r=r~,rb. (4)

As the boundary conditions in the coordinates 0 and ~ we use the initial value

= (5)

on a certain closed curve tao = la0(0o) located in the wave region for r E (rb, r~) and require an increase in
the solution phase with distance from the source.
Let us find the partial solution of Eq. (3), which has the formal asymptotic expansion

ikav(O,~) ~ Al(r,O,~a)
= e (ikay (6)
l----0

This expression represents a Debye series, in which the phase ~ = kar = = {~(0,~) is assumed to be
independent of the coordinate r according to the m e t h o d of horizontal rays and vertical modes. Evidently,
it is advisable to use the expansion (6) for the description of the fields of lower modes propagating at sliding
angles to the earth and ionosphere and that are principal at low frequencies.
Substituting Eq. (6) into Eq. (3), in the standard manner, we obtain the system of coupled equations
^ -~

^ ~ - ~-~
LrAo 0rr0X0 t
sinO O~o
0rr~Ao=0, (7)

Or ^ -, 1 Or ^ -,
L,X,+I - ~ r0A,+l sin 0 r~d,+l = _~ (l > 0), (8)

in which s = s = r It(g) is the transverse operator of the waveguide problem

a

300
Proceeding from Eq. (4), we require that the vector functions Al satisfy the boundary conditions Al,1 =
AI,~. = 0 for r = rb,ra.

3. Let us turn to Eq. (7) for the zero term of the asymptotic expansion. First, we assume that

07 1 Or
= Acosx, tsinx, (9)
-

00
- .

sin0
. .

0~
.

where X is the angle between the wave normal (the normal to the phase front) and the unit vector g0(0, ~),
such that
1 Or/Or (10)
tanx- sin0 0!o 0-0"
Then Eq. (7) takes the form

L,.A-'o - AFt-'to = O, I't = I'o cosx + 1"~osinx (11)

and, ailowha_g for the boundary conditions in the coordinate r for A0, it coincides with the equation for the
eigenfv.nctions and eigenvalues of the transverse operator

L(i)~m=A~,r r162 for ~=~b,~o. (12)

By virtue of the imposed boundary conditions, the spectrum of the operator is discrete and we assume it
to be simple. From Eq. (12), in principle, we determine the eigenfunctions Cm = r 0, ~; X) and the
eigenvalues Am = )~m(0, p;X) for an arbitrary angle X- For definiteness, we assume that ImA,~ > 0 for
m _> +1 and ImAm < 0 f o r m _ - 1 ( m r 0).
Since it is convenient to rely on the normalized eigenfunctions, we formulate a "conjugate" problem.
Let us introduce the conjugate operator L + with the help of the relationship

L
where we use the pseudoscalar product

r, 8 }
[ d, = - a b dr =
?,
- a 8 b8
?,
dr.
rb s----1 rb

From Eq. (13)it follows that L + = / ~ (gT), and the domain of the conjugate operator coincides with
that of the reference operator (~1 = ~2 = 0 for r = rb, ra). The problem on the eigenfunctions and the
eigenvalues of the conjugate operator is formulated as follows:

L, (gT) ~,~ = _A+ I't ~,~, Tn,1 = ~,~,2 = 0 for r = rb, r~. (14)

Assuming then in Eq. (13) ~ = r and ~ = ~ and allowing for Eqs. (12) and (14), as well as the relationship
, Ft =- ta, , we obtain

r^ --* .., ]
~ence, for [r,r ~,m = lyre r 0 (no degeneration, simple spectrum) it f~nows that A~ = Am, i.e.,
the eigenvalues of the reference and conjugate operators match, and we obtain the following orthogonality
relation:
r N 6mo, (15)
where 8,~,~ is the Kronecker symbol and Nm = Nm(0, T; X) is the normalizing integral.

301
 The normalized eigenfunctions are determined in the form

For these eigenfunctions Eq. (15) takes the form [Ft@m, ~ ] = 6m,.
It is worthwhile to note that the equations and relationships (11)- (15) hold only for an arbitrary
angle X. However, if we are interested in the partial solution of Maxwell equations of the type (6) for the
pth eigenwave (A = Ap), then the angle X~,(O,~p) for it is determined by the equality (10), which involves the
eikonal rp(O, ~p), and the equation for rp results from the relationships (9), which lead to the equation for
the horizontal eikonal

00] + si~8 0~ ]
(16)
( i Or,/Or,
xp=arctan ~ 0~/00]"

As a result, from Eq. (7) we obtain Eq. (16) for rp, and, with accuracy to an arbitrary multiplier
depending on 0 and to, we determine the zero term of the asymptotic series (6):

(P)/O
_4(P) = a(P)(O,9o)r O,~; Xp)= ao,pt , ~o) ~2(p) , (17)
r \ N~pp)
where
r = ~,(~,o, ~; x,), N~) = NA0, ~; x~).
Ap)
To find ~e,p, we must use Eq. (8) for .4~P).

4. Equation (8) for the pth eigenwave is written in the form

r'*/+l "*/+1 (18)

where
A(p) = Ap(0, ~; X p ) , F~P)= F0 cos Xp + F~ sin Xp.
As is shown in [1], owing to the fact that the matrix I't is degenerate, the system of eigenfunctions

= Cm(~,o,~; x,) (m= •

is not complete, and the expansion in terms of the eigenfunctions needs to be comleted. To this end we
introduce the projectors

with the properties/50I't = I't/S0 = 0 and/blI)t = I't/51 = Ft. In this case the solution of Eq. (18)is obtained
as the expansion
+~
a'(P) E' a(P) 71 /~I~ + a(p) "~'(P) (19)
"~l+l ---- l + l , m r rn(p) + / + l , p wp ,
7D7.---- -- OO

g (p)
where the prime at the sum denotes the absence of the term with m = p in the latter, and the vector ~'z+l
is such that /5r ~-'l+1 = g(P)
~-'l+l" Substituting Eq. (19) into Eq. (18) and projecting the resulting equation
into the subspaces conforming to/5(p) and P1(p), we obtain

pc(,) t, ~,?~ = pc(,) ~('), (20)

302
 -;coo

E' "~l+l,m
(2~)
' D T , ~ - - OO

where

From Eq. (20) we have

g l (_ pa )# (p) p(p) g(p)

+1 -- ?, I ( _ - L

0,
i
.(p) ' 0

sltp) = e00 cos 2 Xp + ( ~@, + E~O) sinxp cos Xv + ~ sin2 Xp ,

and from Eq. (21), using the orthogonality relation (15) and Eq. (20), we determine the expansion coefficients
in a series in terms of the eigenfimctions

a(p) [-~ (P), ~J(P)]

l+l,m = (mr ;).
A~ ) -

The last term in the expansion (19) is the solution of the homogeneous equation (18) with an arbitrary
coefficient a l(p)
+ l , p " To develop the unique solution of this equation, we must require that the condition

[~(P) ,x'(p)]= o (t_0)

"l ,~p J

be satisfied, which leads to the equation for al,p

-(p)

s(p) Oal,p
(p) + __ S ( p,, )(p) (22)
o,v 08 " sin 0 8~ +/Jpal'p -]- = O.

Here we introduce the following notations

S(,)
0,p ---- [f'e ~l (23)

1 ^ -,"

R}p) =
t0 -SV-' r +~ 0v
+1 0 L[I'o d l (p) , r ,

0, for 1 = 0,
(~z (p) = +oo
r, g (.) for l > 1.
E' a(p) r (p) + l '
?Tt~-~--- OO

303
 For ~0,v
r and Jr,re(P)we obtain simpler expressions which include only the angle X and the eigenvalue.
For this purpose we consider the problem (12) with an arbitrary angle X- Differentiating Eq. (12) with
respect to X and performing the scalar multiplication of the result by ~m,
v~ we obtain

--, 1 Ohm
[ ~ - 0--7 (24)
where

~,~ = __OFt = -I'0 sin X § I'v cos X-

OX
Then Eq. (24) together with Eq. (15) allow us to determine So,m and S~,m (for an arbitrary angle X).
Assuming then that m = p and X = Xp, we obtain

S (p) cos Xv + - 1- -OAr

- x=xv sin Xv,
o,v = Ap OX
(25)
S(p)
v,v = sinx p 1 OAp
Av OX x=x~ cos Xv.

5. Therefore, the construction of the asymptotics (6) for the pth eigenwave of the spherical anisotropic
irregular waveguide is reduced to the solution of Eqs. (16) and (22). In this case we must impose initial
conditions on some closed line 00 = 00(~0) (in particular, 00 = = const) located in the wave region. In
the case of a smooth irregular waveguide whose spatial scale of variation of properties in the directions
tangent to the earth's surface is much greater than the wavelength, we can choose the angle 00 such that
it conforms to the onset of the wave region and assume the waveguide to be regular for 0 < 00. Then the
initial conditions are obtained from the solution of the problem of the field in the regular waveguide. Here,
the regular waveguide is understood as the wavegnide whose properties in the local Cartesian coordinate
system with the origin at the source do not change in the directions tangent to the earth's surface. Since
at present no analytical solution is known for such a waveguide, we consider only the problem of the initial
conditions for the equation of the horizontal eikonal, which can be solved directly based on this equation.
To develop the solution of Eq. (16), we use the method of complex rays (complex characteristics) [3],
which is the generalization of the classical method of characteristics [4] to the case of the complex value Av
in the equation of the horizontal eikonal. Choosing coordinate 0 as the parameter along the ray, we write
the characteristic system of equations for (16) in the form (subscript "p" is omitted)

d~ 1 Sv
dO sin0 So
(26)
dO )~So - ~ + )~ cot 0 + sin----~ 0~ '

dr
-- = --, (27)
dO So
where So and S~ are given by the expressions (25) and for the irregular waveguide A -- A(0, ~, X), such
that X is the angle between the wave normal and the unit vector go(t, ~). Equations (26) determine the
ray, which is complex, generally speaking, due to the complexity of A, and Eq. (27) is the eikonal along the
latter. From the first Eq. (26) it follows that the vector S = Sogo + Sve~ is tangent to the ray. The angle

304
between the unit vector e~(0, T) and the vector ff is determined as
1 0A
- - -
cos X
-
tan 5 - S~ sin X A OX
S0 - 10A = tan(x - 7),
cos X + ~ 7 - sin X
aX
(28)
I Oh

7=arctgA OX

and in the ease of an anisotropic wavegulde -0--s r 0 it does not coincide with the angle X. It should be
noted that Eq. (22) can also be written in the characteristic form. As is easily seen, the characteristics in
gqo (22) coincide with the characteristics in the equation of the eikonal; then, along the ray (26), we have
dal flal + Rl
d# So
For development of the solution of the system (26) near the source for a regular waveguide, instead of
X we introduce the angle a = X + ~, which, for # << 1, represents the angle between the wave normal and
the unit vector e-*(#,~),I~=0" Then for the regular waveguide A = A(a), and Eqs. (26)-(27) transform into
the following system
da ( 1 - c o s # ) s i n ( a - T ) cos'/ (29)
dd#~ _ sin1 # t a n ( a - 7 - ~ o ) , d-#= s i n # c o s ( a - 7 - ~) '
dr A cos 7
d-~ = cos(a - 7 - ~)' (30)
where 7 is given by Eq. (28) since cgA/ OX -- 0A / Oa. For 0 << 1 we approximately assume that da / dO = 0,
so that a = const and 7(a) = const along the ray. In this approximation, from the first Eq. (29) we obtain
the equality
# s i n ( a - 7 - ~ ) = const = #c s i n ( a - 7 - To), (31)
where the subscript "c" complies with a certain point on the ray. Assmning the ray to be emitted from the
source located at # = 0 and that #~ = 0, based on Eq. (31), we obtain
= a + const, (32)
i.e., the ray represents a geodesic line proceeding from the source to the observation point. Prescribing the
angle ~, of the observation point, from Eq. (32), in principle, we determine a = a(T)o Then the solution of
Eq. (30) is given by the expression
v)= (a)0 c o s t ( a ) + (33)
where a = a(T) and r0 is constant that can be. found only from the genera/solution of the problem of the
field in the regular waveguide. Equation (33) is, in essence, the solution of the equation of the horizontal
eikonal in the plane waveguide (but with the eigenvalue A for the spherical waveguide) and can be used
as the initial condition at # = 00 for the development of the solution of Eq. (16) with accuracy up to the
constant r0 in the sphericM irregular waveguide.

REFERENCES

1. A. D. Avdeyev and V. V. Novikov, Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn. Zaved., Radiofiz., 34, No. 7, 790 (1991).
2. A. D. Avdeyev, V. S. Buslayev, and A. V. Popov, in: Wave Propagation in Layered Media, Kazan' (1988),
p. 6.
3. Yu, A. Kravtsov, Izv. Vyssh. Uchebn. Zaved., Radiofiz., 10, No. 9, 1283 (1967).
4. V. I. Smirnov, A Course in Higher Mathematics, Vol. IV [in Russian], Moscow (1981).

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