Phase gradient screen approach in modeling of ionospheric scintillation

Abstract

Multiple studies of scintillation events have shown that in certain situations the intense phase fluctuations of trans-ionospheric radio signals are associated with the scattering on strong electron density gradients. However, a theoretical understanding of this correlation is lacking. We propose a novel method of scintillation simulation that extends the conventional approach by including the next-order correction in the geometric-optics approximation for the propagating radio wave. In this way we are able to reproduce the patchy scintillation patterns due to refractive scattering at the edges of equatorial plasma bubbles, storm enhanced density regions, ionospheric trough boundaries, etc. In the current version of the algorithm we use the electron density gradient data from the Swarm satellite mission (NeGIX) to derive the empirical values of the ionospheric gradients.