What Does the Radiowave Absorption Formula in the Ionosphere Mean?

[kd001]

For an upcoming experiment I was given the following formula to study


It shows the collisional radiowave absorption in the ionosphere although I don't really understand what it means. I have not come across it before and its not in my textbook. Can someone familiar with it please explain to me what this formula is actually doing and what each of the terms mean. Also, is there a way of converting it into absorption rate?

Thanks

 

[kd001]

I need to get started on this pretty soon. At the very least does anyone know what A_r and A_u might stand for? Is 'e' the exponential or does it stand for something else in this case? Is is 's' in the term 'ds' the distance? If so the distance of what? The distance the wave has travelled?

Thanks a lot.

 

[torquil]

I would expect e to be the electron charge, and m_e to be its mass.

I found an article about microwave radiation absorption in the ionosphere:
http://www.springerlink.com/content/72661h65211018t0/

Some of the parameters were similar, so maybe they are the same. The \nu was a collision rate, and N was n electron number density so that could be your N_e. They considered a vertical trajectory, so your integral could be an onedimensional integral along a vertical path.

f may be the frequency of the incoming radiation. It is in this article:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/B6VSV-4DS3T3S-12/2/ad63762fcb25ea6d6e194ca1563f0659
They also used \nu as the electron collision frequency, and elecron number density N_e. Also electron charge e, electron mass m, and speed of light c, electric permittivity \epsilon_0 as in your formula.

Torquil

 

[kd001]

Thanks. That helps.