Ground wave propagation in a normal and an ionized atmosphere

Ground wave propagation in the presence of intense atmospheric ionization, such as may occur as a result of ionizing radiation from nuclear events, is studies. The influence of an enhanced dielectric constant for the atmosphere is also considered. It is concluded that extremely high ionization sources are necessary to produce sufficient ions to completely attenuate the ground wave because of the high ion-neutral collision frequency at the ground level. The analysis method is immediately applicable to the study of ground wave propagation in the ionized atmosphere of a planet of other celestial body, since this requires only the trivial but numerically significant modification of the radius of curvature of the ground. A computer program is presented which can calculate the ground wave in both the normal and the ionized atmosphere. The altitude above ground of either transmitter or receiver or both transmitter and receiver can be taken into account.