Model Simplification for Efficient Full-Wave Simulation of Electromagnetic Transmission in Inhomogeneous Plasma

This work proposes a model simplification strategy for efficient full-wave simulation of electromagnetic wave transmission in inhomogeneous plasma. Different plasma density distributions are designed to evaluate their effects on reflection and attenuation using simulations and ground-based measurements. In order to evaluate the influence of plasma distribution on attenuation and reflection characteristics, the simulation results and measured data of three different profile structures were conducted. Results show that attenuation is mainly influenced by plasma peak density and thickness, allowing uniform approximation for transmission analysis. In contrast, reflection is highly sensitive to the peak value, location, and overall profile, thus requiring refined non-uniform modeling for accurate reflection prediction. These findings provide guidance for balancing accuracy and efficiency in electromagnetic simulations under plasma conditions.