EAS487: Radar Remote Sensing Spring 2014

HOMEWORK 8: Misc
Reference: Lectures 37-44 Due: 2014 May 5
Problem 1. Consider the ambiguity function for
the 5-bit Barker coded pulse (+++-+).
a) With the help of a computer, generate
representative plots of the ambiguity function
|(, v)|. Plot the =0 and v=0 cuts and also
the entire ambiguity function (as a contour plot
or in 3D) over a representative range of delays
and frequencies.
b) By examining the plots, show that the range
resolution of the pulse is related to the baud
length rather than the pulse length of the coded
pulse. Show that the same is true of the band-
width.
c) It should be clear from the contour or 3D
plot that the pulse code fails to give anything
like ideal pulse compression for targets with sub-
stantial Doppler shifts. Indicate this breakdown
on your plot.
Problem 2. Verify the following relationship
given in class to help evaluate long-distance iono-
spheric propagation paths. Here, h

is the virtual
reection height.

1 +
h

R
e
cos

csec = cot
i
d/2
Re
h

Figure 1: Geometry for problem 2.

Problem 3. Suppose a shortwave station in
Ohio wants to broadcast to central Europe, a great-
circle distance of d=6760 km away. We know that
d = 2

2R
e
h

for radiation beamed horizontally from

the transmitter, implying that the virtual reection
height h

for a single-hop link would have to be 900

km, an altitude which is above the peak of the iono-
sphere. Hence, the required link must involve two
hops or skips, each a distance of only 3380 km.
Assuming a nominal virtual reection height of 300
km and a peak F-region electron density of 10
12
m
3
,
determine the elevation angle of the transmitted ra-
diation and the maximum usable frequency. Repeat
the calculation for a nighttime peak F-region density
of 10
11
m
3
.
The station would like to operate somewhere
within the 31-m shortwave band which occupies 9.2
9.7 MHz. Comment on whether this will be possible
during the day and at night.
Problem 4. The index of refraction for left- and
right-circular polarized HF waves with frequency f
propagating close to parallel to the Earths magnetic
eld in a collisionless ionospheric plasma can be writ-
ten approximately as
n
2
O,X
= 1
f
2
p
f(f f
c
cos )
where f
p
and f
c
are the electron plasma frequency
and gyro frequency, respectively, in Hz, and is the
propagation angle with respect to the magnetic eld.
The plus and minus signs denote the ordinary (O)
and extraordinary (X) mode, respectively, and cor-
respond to circular polarizations in the sense against
and with the electron gyro motion around the mag-
netic eld.
We know that right- and left-circularly polarized
waves of the same amplitude add to form a linearly
polarized wave. The orientation of the linear polar-
ization depends on the relative phases of the circular
polarized waves. Since these waves propagate with
dierent indices of refraction, their relative phase is
a function of distance traveled. This means that the
orientation of the linear polarization changes with
distance traveled. This phenomenon is known as
Faraday rotation.
a) Calculate the relative phase dierence be-
tween the O and X modes as a function of dis-
tance. On what ionospheric parameters does it
depend?
b) Relate this to the orientation of the linearly
polarized wave. In what sense does it rotate
with respect to the electron gyro motion.
To simplify the calculations, you may take f f
c
,
f f
p
.
CORNELL UNIVERSITY c DAVE HYSELL (14/04/22)
HW 81