Wireless and mobile

communication (EET-455)
Fall 2022
Radio propagation techniques
• Electromagnetic waves propagate through environments
where they are reflected, scattered, and diffracted by walls,
terrain, buildings, and other objects.
• The ultimate details of this propagation can be obtained by
solving Maxwell’s equations with boundary conditions that
express the physical characteristics of these obstructing
objects.
• Approximations have been developed to characterize signal
propagation and How this technique and other propagation
models works is described ahead.
Parabolic Equation Method (PEM)
• It gives a full wave solution for the field in the presence of range
dependant environments
• Best for low angle electromagnetic waves propagation
• PEM provides two methods for getting solution:
1. Finite difference technique
2. Split step Fast Fourier Transform technique
Maxwell’s equations (1)
Maxwell’s equation (2)
• It provide complete mathematical representation for electromagnetic
waves.
• Since we are estimating refractivity, working directly with Maxwell’s
equation becomes more complex when refractive index variation w.r.t
height is involved.
Helmholtz’s Equations (1)
Helmholtz’s Equations (2)
• Similar scalar equations and the solution of one equation is well
enough for others as well
• If we consider a paraxial propagation framework, we can convert any
of the four equation into two dimensional scalar wave equation given
in (1).
• What a paraxial framework?
Paraxial propagation framework
• Field is propagating in the positive x axis at small angle to the
horizontal.
• x is taken along the horizontal axis representing the range and z along
the vertical axis representing the height.
• Time dependence of of fields is considered.
• Horizontal and vertical polarized components are propagating
independently.
SPE (1)
• The two dimensional scalar wave equation given by

• For horizontal polarization, the field component is

equal to Ey and for vertical polarization the field
component is equal to Hy.
SPE (2)
• A reduce function is considered

• Gives the elliptical form in equation (3)

• The first term here is approximated to get equation (4)

• This approximation put a constraint on the angle of the propagated wave with
the horizontal.
SPE (3)

• This is called the standard parabolic equation.

• In case of vacuum, equation (4) reduces to
SPE in Vacuum (1)
• For SPE in vacuum, which means that there is no refractive index term
• Take the Fourier transform of it
• Ordinary Differential Equation will result.
• Solve the ODE and you will get the solution in two terms,
1. Initial reduced field
2. Spectral propagator
SPE in Vacuum (2)
• Now two methods to get back to the original domain,
1. Take the inverse FT of each term and convolute them
2. Take the inverse FT of the initial reduce field and multiply it with the
spectral propagator and then take the inverse FT of the product.
Split step fast Fourier transform (SS-FFT) (1)

• What happens in the non-vacuum case?

• Here the coefficient of u becomes a differential operator in z
• Resulting in never ending convolution terms.
• You need to account separately for the action of the refractive index
term
• To isolate the refractive term and diffractive term.
Split step fast Fourier transform (SS-FFT) (2)

• This is a marching type solution method in which.

• You view the solution as the field propagating through a series of
phase screens.
• First to propagate the field through a slice of homogeneous medium.
• Then apply a phase screen modulated by refractive index variations.
Free space Path loss model
• A signal propagating between two points with no attenuation
or reflection follows the free-space propagation law.
• Also, Ray tracing propagation models are used to approximate
wave propagation according to Maxwell’s equations; they are
accurate when the number of multipath components is small and
the physical environment is known.
• Ray-tracing models depend heavily on the geometry and
dielectric properties of the region through which the signal
propagates.
• Similarly, Empirical models with parameters based on
measurements for both indoor and outdoor channels and log
normal models are in use as well.
Two ray model
A ray tracing technique which approximate the propagation of
electromagnetic waves by representing the wavefronts as simple
particles: the model determines the reflection and refraction
effects on the wavefront but ignores the more complex scattering
phenomenon predicted by Maxwell’s coupled differential
equations.
The simplest ray-tracing model is the two-ray model, which
accurately describes signal propagation when there is one direct
path between the transmitter and receiver and one reflected path.
The reflected path typically bounces off the ground, and the two-
ray model is a good approximation for propagation along highways
or rural roads and over water.