Distortion and depolarization by the ionosphere of L-band signals coded by phase reversals: Full wave solutions

The distortion and depolarization of L-band transient signals that propagate through an inhomogeneous anisotropic model of the ionosphere are investigated using a full wave approach. The dispersive and anisotropic properties of the ionosphere impede the decoding at the receiver of the two orthogonally polarized signals which are independently coded at the transmitter. Thus in addition to determining the signal delays and the phase shifts of the transmitted signals, features that distinguish between the depolarized and nondepolarized signals are also identified.