Modeling the radio wave polarization in transionspheric propagation

The polarization characteristics of the radio waves traversing the ionosphere can be determined from the RRI (Radio Receiver Instrument) measurements onboard CASSIOPE/Swarm-E satellite. The rate of change of orientation angle of the HF radio waves indicate the Faraday rotation of the signal. A ray-trace model is used to simulate the radio wave orientation angle observed by the RRI. Input electron density profiles are constructed from the IRI (International Reference Ionosphere) model with the foF2 value scaled to the level measured by a nearby Digisonde. Results show that such IRI-model profiles closely reproduce the ionospheric electron density and help to model the radio wave orientation angle during transionospheric propagation.