Couche de Kennelly–Heaviside

The Heaviside layer, sometimes called the Kennelly–Heaviside layer, named after Arthur E. Kennelly and Oliver Heaviside, is a layer of ionised gas occurring roughly between 90km and 150 km (56 and 93 mi) above the ground — one of several layers in the Earth's ionosphere. It is also known as the E region. It reflects medium-frequency radio waves. Because of this reflective layer, radio waves radiated into the sky can return to Earth beyond the horizon. This "skywave" or "skip" propagation technique has been used since the 1920s for radio communication at long distances, up to transcontinental distances. Propagation is affected by the time of day. During the daytime the solar wind presses this layer closer to the Earth, thereby limiting how far it can reflect radio waves. Conversely, on the night (lee) side of the Earth, the solar wind drags the ionosphere further away, thereby greatly increasing the range which radio waves can travel by reflection. The extent of the effect is further influenced by the season, and the amount of sunspot activity. Existence of a reflective layer was predicted in 1902 independently and almost simultaneously by the American electrical engineer Arthur Edwin Kennelly (1861–1939) and the British polymath Oliver Heaviside (1850–1925), as an explanation for the propagation of radio waves beyond the horizon observed by Guglielmo Marconi in 1901. However, it was not until 1924 that its existence was shown by British scientist Edward V. Appleton, for which he received the 1947 Nobel Prize in Physics. Physicists resisted the idea of the reflecting layer for one very good reason; it would require total internal reflection, which in turn would require that the speed of light in the ionosphere would be greater than in the atmosphere below it. Since the latter speed is essentially the same as the speed of light in vacuum (c), scientists were unwilling to believe the speed in the ionosphere could be higher. Nevertheless, Marconi had received signals in Newfoundland that were broadcast in England, so clearly there must be some mechanism allowing the transmission to reach that far.

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Couche de Kennelly–Heaviside

La couche de Heaviside ou couche de Kennelly–Heaviside constitue une partie comprise entre 90 et 150 km de l'ionosphère terrestre (région E). Elle réfléchit les ondes radio dans la gamme VHF, permettant des liaisons trans-horizon. Elle est nommée d'après Arthur Edwin Kennelly et Oliver Heaviside. L'existence d'une couche atmosphérique permettant la réflexion des ondes radio observée par Guglielmo Marconi en 1901 a été expliquée indépendamment en 1902 par Arthur Edwin Kennelly et Oliver Heaviside.

Propagation ionosphérique

vignette|Schéma de la propagation ionosphérique des ondes radio. On appelle propagation ionosphérique (ou liaison lointaine par réflexion ionosphérique) la propriété des ondes électromagnétiques de parcourir des distances plus grandes que la simple par réflexion sur l’ionosphère. Les conditions de la propagation ionosphérique dépendent de plusieurs facteurs tels le cycle solaire, l'heure et les saisons. Puisqu’elle n’est pas limitée par la courbure de la Terre, cette propagation peut être utilisée notamment pour communiquer au-delà de l’horizon, sur des distances intercontinentales.

Medium wave

Medium wave (MW) is the part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the daytime, reception is usually limited to more local stations, though this is dependent on the signal conditions and quality of radio receiver used. Improved signal propagation at night allows the reception of much longer distance signals (within a range of about 2,000 km or 1,200 miles).

Plonge dans les découvertes fondamentales de la radioastronomie, des équations de Maxwell aux observations de Jansky de la Voie lactée et aux progrès de Reber dans la conception des antennes radio.