Propagation for Space Applications by Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Chairman ITU-R SG3 Invited talk at LAPC 2014, Loughborough, UK bertram@arbesser.org Abstract:The presentation covers the key propagation impairments for fixed and mobile satellite communications as well as for satellite navigation. This includes rain attenuation, cloud attenuation, shadowing and multipath. Specifically for satellite navigation systems the group delay introduced by the troposphere and by the ionosphere is also addressed. For the propagation prediction methods presented a reference is made to the models recommended by ITU-R. Keywords: Slant path propagation, attenuation, depolarization, group delay, scintillations, troposphere, ionosphere.
Outline Propagation issues for Fixed SatCom Services Clear Air attenuation, Rain attenuation, Cloud attenuation Depolarization by rain and ice Propagation issues for Mobile Satellite Services Shadowing, blockage, multipath Propagation issues for Satellite Navigation Services Ionospheric delay, Tropospheric delay, Ionospheric scintillations Shadowing, blockage, multipath Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 2 of 18
Propagation Effects Ionosphere Scintillations Faraday Rotation Delay Troposphere Rain attenuation Cloud attenuation Scintillations XPD reduction Delay Environment Shadowing Blockage Multipath Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 3 of 18
Fixed SatCom Systems The first satellite communications were using 6 / 4 GHz WHY? Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 4 of 18
Fixed SatCom Systems main propagation effects For fixed Earth-space links at f > 5 GHz, the main propagation impairments are: Rain attenuation Depolarization due to rain and ice Cloud attenuation Gaseous absorption Frozen Precipitation Melting layer Rain Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 5 of 18
H2O O2 O2 H2O H2O Gaseous Attenuation The plot shows the atmospheric absorption lines Water vapour Oxygen Communication systems use the frequencies below and between the lines; the lines themselves are used for remote sensing of the atmosphere. Line-by-line models are good but computationally intensive ITU-R Rec. P.676-10 Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 6 of 18
Slant Path Propagation Measurements what is needed? HIGH UPTIME! Beacon receiver (copolar and crosspolar reception) good dynamic range, hydrophobic antenna, may need blowing device for feed window, may need emergency power supply, may require tracking Radiometer Precision calibration, good retrieval algorithm Meteorological Equipment rain gauge, distrometer, anemometer, radiosonde, WV-GPS Rx) Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 7 of 18
Cumulative Distribution of Attenuation Total Attenuation Green: 30 GHz Blue: 20 GHz Red: 12 GHz Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 8 of 18
K l Cloud Attenuation Specific attenuation coefficient, ((db/km) / (g/m³)) 10 5 20 C 2 10 C 0 C 1 8 C 0.5 0.2 0.1 0.05 0.02 0.01 5 10 20 50 100 200 Frequency (GHz) ITU-R Rec P. 840-5 * LKl Acloud [db] sin Where: L is the total columnar Liquid Water Content [kg/m 2 ] (reduced to 0 C) K l is the specific attenuation coefficient (function of frequency & temperature) is the elevation angle * K l in Rec P. 840-6 (in force) is slightly different Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 9 of 18
Cloud Map Annual Mean Cloud Cover ( 0 1) Source: ECMWF ERA 15 Database Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 10 of 18
Mobile SatCom Systems For Mobile Earth-space links the main propagation impairments are: Blockage (buildings, underpasses) Shadowing (trees etc.) Multipath (reflections) Semi-Markov Model Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 11 of 18
Roadside Shadowing Model Fade distribution at 1.5 GHz, valid for percentages of distance traveled of 20% p 1%, at the desired path elevation angle, 60 20 : A L ( p, ) = M( ) ln ( p) + N( ) [db] where: M( ) = 3.44 + 0.0975 0.002 2 N( ) = 0.443 + 34.76 Fade exceeded (db) Fading at 1.5 GHz due to roadside shadowing versus elevation angle 30 28 26 24 22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 1% 2% 5% 10% 20% 30% 50% 0 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 55 60 ITU-R Rec P. 681-7 Path elevation angle (degrees) 0681-01 Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 12 of 18
Channel characterization A channel sounder is used to characterize the multipath environment for land mobile and aeronautical mobile environments. For proper modelling, azimuth and elevation of the incoming components need to be measured Channel Sounder: Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 13 of 18
Channel characterization Delay spread in a multipath-rich environment. The peak on the left (0 delay) is the Line-of-sight signal, showing shadowing and blockage. The delayed components are multipath contributions. Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 14 of 18
Aeronautical Multipath Model Model used in ITU-R Rec P. 682-3 was established using a flying channel sounder 1: Line of Sight (LoS): del = 0, P = 0, Doppler BW = 0 Hz 2: Flat fading of LoS: del = 0, P = -14.2 db, Doppler BW = <0.10 Hz 3: Fuselage multipath: del = 1.5 ns, P = -14.2 db, Doppler BW = <0.1 Hz 4: Ground reflections: del = 900 10 ns, P = -15 to -25 db, Dopp BW <20 Hz Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 15 of 18
IONOSPHERIC PROPAGATION EFFECTS ON SATNAV SYSTEMS
Ionospheric Electron Density and Group Delay For calculating ionospheric effects, the Electron Density along the propagation path has to be integrated (Total Electron Content) 1 TECU = 10 16 el / m 2 s = 40.3 TEC / f 2 [m] At 1.575 GHz 1 TECu causes 16 cm of group delay Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 17 of 18
Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 18 of 18
Trans-Ionospheric propagation Effects: Refractive index Group delay & Ray bending Irregularities Scintillations Magnetic field and electron density Faraday rotation Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 19 of 18
Ionospheric Scintillations One of the most severe disruptions along a trans-ionospheric propagation path for signals below 3 GHz is caused by ionospheric scintillation. Small-scale irregular structures in the ionization density cause scintillation phenomena in which the signal is fluctuating in amplitude and phase. Measurement requires special ionospheric scintillation receivers: 20 Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 20 of 18
Conclusion There is a wide range of microwave systems in space, spanning across all space applications and a wide frequency spectrum. Space applications are demanding not only in terms of mass, power consumption, reliability and radiation hardness but also in the handling of time varying propagation conditions. Propagation Experiments are needed to validate the propagation prediction methods. Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg Propagation for Space Applications LAPC Loughborough Date: 2014-11-10 Slide Number 21 of 18
Thank you! Bertram Arbesser-Rastburg bertram@arbesser.org