Superposition Property of the Ionospheric Scintillation S4 Index

Abstract

S4 index is the rapid modification of signals when propagating through small-scale structures in the ionosphere, called ionospheric irregularities. The rapid modification of the signal causes the scintillation of the power. The purpose of this letter is to confirm the superposition property of the S4 index by using the ray-tracing method to simulate the signal propagation path through the ionospheric irregularities and then calculate the amplitude and S4 index of the received signal. The relation between the ionospheric scintillation S4 index and the signal propagation path can be understood. Then, the assimilation method for the S4 index can be developed to monitor the ionospheric irregularity in the future.