On the Scattering of Radio Waves by Turbulent Fluctuations of the Atmosphere

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of the mechanism that enables transmission of vhf-signals over distances of the order of 103 km. It is found that turbulent mixing, operating at the lower edge of the E-layer (h=80-90 km) produces fluctuations in electron density of sufficient intensity to account for the observed signals. The basic assumptions are the existence of a sufficiently strong gradient of electron density (dN/dh > 103 cm-3/km) and a reasonable level of turbulent activity.