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tropopl

Slant-path loss due to atmosphere gaseous absorption

Since R2021a

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Syntax

Lgas = tropopl(R,F,H,EL)
Lgas = tropopl(___,Name,Value)
[Lgas,Llens] = tropopl(___)

Description

Lgas = tropopl(R,F,H,EL) calculates the path loss due to tropospheric refraction using the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) standard atmospheric model known as the mean annual global reference atmosphere (MAGRA), which approximates the U.S. Standard Atmosphere 1976 with insignificant relative error.

Lgas = tropopl(___,Name,Value) specifies options using one or more name-value arguments in addition to the input arguments in the previous syntax.

example

[Lgas,Llens] = tropopl(___) calculates the corresponding lens loss. The variation in refractivity versus altitude makes the atmosphere act like a lens with loss independent of frequency. Rays leaving an antenna are refracted in the troposphere and the energy radiated within some angular extent is distributed over a slightly greater angular sector, thereby reducing the energy density relative to propagation in a vacuum.

Examples

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Open Live Script

Calculate the attenuation versus range for a frequency of 100 GHz with an elevation of 5 degrees using the mid-latitude, winter atmospheric model.

R  = (10:200)*1e3;      % m
f  = 100e9;             % Hz
ht = 0;                 % m
el = 5;                 % deg
Lgas = tropopl(R,f,ht,el,'LatitudeModel','Mid','Season','Winter');

Plot the results.

semilogy(R.*1e-3,Lgas);
xlabel('Range (km)');
ylabel('Attenuation (dB)');
title('Attenuation for Mid-Latitude, Winter Atmosphere');

Figure contains an axes object. The axes object with title Attenuation for Mid-Latitude, Winter Atmosphere, xlabel Range (km), ylabel Attenuation (dB) contains an object of type line.

Input Arguments

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Slant range, specified as a positive scalar or an M-length positive vector. Units are in meters.

Data Types: single | double

Radar frequency, specified as a positive real scalar or N-length positive vector. Units are in Hz.

Data Types: single | double

Mean sea level (MSL) altitude of the radar platform, specified as a positive scalar from 0 to 100 km. Values outside the specified range result in NaN output. Units are in meters.

Example: 200e3

Data Types: single | double

Elevation angle of the propagation path, specified as a scalar or M-length real vector. Units are in degrees.

Example: 10

Data Types: single | double

Name-Value Arguments

Specify optional pairs of arguments as Name1=Value1,...,NameN=ValueN, where Name is the argument name and Value is the corresponding value. Name-value arguments must appear after other arguments, but the order of the pairs does not matter.

Before R2021a, use commas to separate each name and value, and enclose Name in quotes.

Example: 'LatitudeModel','Mid','Season','Winter'

Standard ground-level water vapor density, specified as a positive scalar in g/m3. Applicable only for the default standard model (MAGRA). Defaults to 7.5 g/m3.

Data Types: double

Altitude above mean sea level (MSL), specified as a positive scalar in meters. Applicable only for the default standard model (MAGRA). Defaults to 2e3 meters. For a dry atmospheric conditions, set scale height to 6e3 meters.

Data Types: double

Reference latitude model, specified as one of these.

ModelDescription
'Standard'(default)

This model is the mean annual global reference atmosphere (MAGRA) that reflects the mean annual temperature and pressure averaged across the world.

'Low'

This model is for low latitudes less than 22 degrees, where there is little seasonal variation.

'Mid'

This model is for mid latitudes between 22 and 45 degrees with seasonal profiles for 'Summer' and 'Winter', which can be specified using the 'Season' name-value argument.

'High'

This model is for high latitudes greater than 45 degrees with seasonal profiles for 'Summer' and 'Winter', which can be specified using the 'Season' name-value argument.

Season for the 'Mid' and 'High' latitude models, specified as 'Summer' or 'Winter'. Other models ignore this input. Defaults to 'Summer'.

Custom atmospheric measurements for the calculation of the refractive index, specified as an N-by-4 matrix, where N corresponds to the number of altitude measurements. N must be greater than or equal to 2. The first column is the atmospheric temperature in kelvins, the second column is the atmospheric pressure in hPa, the third column is the water vapor density in g/m3, and the fourth column is the MSL altitude of the measurements in meters. When you use a custom model, all other name-value arguments are ignored and the output refractive index is applicable for the input height.

Note

The model used by lenspl assumes geometrical optics conditions, as a result anomalous propagation like ducting and sub-refraction cannot be present in provided measurements. If atmospheric measurements evidencing ducting and sub-refraction are provided, this function throws an error.

Note

The atmositu, gaspl, and tropopl functions use different units for pressure and temperature.

Pressure and Temperature Units

FunctionPressure UnitsTemperature Units
atmosituhectoPascals (hPa)kelvin (K)
tropoplhectoPascals (hPa)kelvin (K)
gasplPascals (Pa)Celsius (C)

One hPa equals 100 Pa and K = C + 273.15. Use caution when combining the use of these three functions.

Data Types: single | double

Output Arguments

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Path loss due to tropospheric refraction, specified as an M-by-N real matrix. M and N are defined by the slant range, R, and frequency, F, arguments, respectively. Units are in decibels (dB).

One-way lens loss, specified as an M-by-N real matrix for elevation angles less than 50 deg. M and N are defined by the sizes of the slant range R and frequency F arguments, respectively. Units are in decibels (dB).

Data Types: double

More About

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Layered Atmosphere

The atmosphere used in tropopl is a layered model with temperature, pressure, and water vapor density dependent on altitude.

Extended Capabilities

C/C++ Code Generation
Generate C and C++ code using MATLAB® Coder™.

Version History

Introduced in R2021a

See Also

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External Websites