Hybrid ray-mode parametrization of high frequency propagation in an open waveguide with inhomogeneous transverse refractive index: formulation and application to a bilinear surface duct

The authors discuss a general complex spectral approach to representing high-frequency source-excited fields in open guiding environments characterized by a continuously varying refractive index in the cross section transverse to the propagation direction. The authors use problem parameters that are motivated by electromagnetic wave propagation in the Earth's atmosphere, in particular, a tropospheric surface duct adjacent to the Earth's surface. The main objective is the development of an observable-based algorithm that self-consistently incorporates various wave objects that synthesize the high-frequency propagation process in a numerically efficient and physically incisive manner. The authors concentrate on ray fields and mode fields, either individually or, most generally, in a rigorous self-consistent hybrid combination. Explicit solutions are generated for a bilinear refractive index profile that generates a leaky surface duct. For numerical results see ibid., vol.39, no.6, p.789-97 (1991).<
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