Split-step Padé Approximations of the Helmholtz Equation for Radio Coverage Prediction over Irregular Terrain

This paper is devoted to the numerical methods for the radio-wave propagation over the Earth's surface. Split-step Padé rational approximations of the one-way Helmholtz equation are applied. The proposed formulation gives an opportunity to take into account the dielectric properties of the ground and vegetation. An arbitrary terrain profile can be modeled. An accurate truncation procedure is carried out by the non-local boundary conditions on the boundaries of the computational domain. Proposed approach provides a stable and fast numerical solution. The calculated results are compared with state-of-the-art propagation models and measured data.