A Fourier split-step based wide-angle three-dimensional vector parabolic wave equation algorithm predicting the field strength over flat and irregular forest environments

This paper provides the analysis of radio wave propagation prediction over flat and irregular forest environments. A three-dimensional vector parabolic wave equation (3DPE) method is used to calculate the field strength due to the forest on a lossy ground. Forest terrains are equivalent to a series of absorbing blocks arranged along the direction of propagation. Under the assumption of forwarding propagation, a 3DPE is derived and the Fourier split-step based PE (SSPE) method is adopted to march the potentials from one aperture plane to the next. A Tukey window function is used to attenuate the fields smoothly at the upper boundary without reflections. Finally, the simulation results are compared with the analytical methods presented in the literature. The simulation results have shown the validity of the proposed algorithm.