LAUSR

The parabolic wave equation has been used extensively to model long-range paraxial wave propagation due to its high computational efficiency. Typical radar, sonar, and communication geometries are most naturally treated using cylindrical coordinates with the radial direction chosen as the paraxial direction. Here, a method is described for modeling waves with 3-D variation propagating through an inhomogeneous body of revolution with the paraxial direction chosen to be the axis of symmetry. The technique decomposes the initial field into independent modes that are propagated in parallel using 2-D solvers. The method is benchmarked by comparison to finite-element calculations. An example application—modeling the interaction of a radio communications system with a rocket exhaust plume—is then considered.