Propagation
Kuok-Shoong Daniel Wong · 2011
All electromagnetic phenomena can be described by Maxwell's equations, so it might be argued that Maxwell's equations are all we need to study these phenomena. Then, physical models and/or mathematical/geometrical/statistical models can be created. This chapter examines such models that describe common effects frequently observed. It begins with a general model for “path loss” in free space, where there are no objects in the environment in free space. Next, the chapter looks at four major phenomena that occur when propagating electromagnetic waves interact with objects in the environment: reflection, diffraction, refraction, and scattering. It then considers the more specialized case of the cellular system propagation environment. The chapter examines the large-scale effects and related models, and then describes the small-scale effects and related models. Finally, it examines briefly how electromagnetic wave propagation effects may be incorporated into the link budget for radio link design. Controlled Vocabulary Terms Electromagnetic propagation; Electromagnetic reflection; electromagnetic wave diffraction; electromagnetic wave refraction; electromagnetic wave scattering; land mobile radio cellular systems