Numerical modelling of VLF radio wave propagation through earth-ionosphere waveguide and its application to sudden ionospheric disturbances

Abstract: In this thesis, we theoretically predict the normal characteristics of Very Low Frequency (3~30 kHz) radio wave propagation through Earth-ionosphere waveguide corresponding to normal behavior of the D-region ionosphere. We took the VLF narrow band data from the receivers of Indian Centre for Space Physics (ICSP) to validate our models. Detection of sudden ionospheric disturbances (SIDs) are common to all the measurements. We apply our theoretical models to infer the D-region characteristics and to reproduce the observed VLF signal behavior corresponding to such SIDs. We develop a code based on ray theory to simulate the diurnal behavior of VLF signals over short propagation paths (2000~3000 km). The diurnal variation from this code are comparable to the variation obtained from a more general Long Wave Propagation Capability (LWPC) code which is based on mode theory approach. We simulate the observational results obtained during the Total Solar Eclipse of July 22, 2009 in India. We also report and simulate a historic event, namely, the lunar occultation of a solar flare during the annular solar eclipse of 15th January, 2010 and find the effects on the D-region electron density profiles.