A NEW MODEL FOR 'IMPULSIVE' PHENOMENA: APPLICATION TO ATMOSPHERIC-NOISE COMMUNICATION CHANNELS

Abstract : The work is concerned with the development and application of an analytical model for atmospheric noise, which is radio noise originating in lightning discharges. The generalized 't' model resulting from our approach is in good agreement with measured data and describes the received atmospheric noise y(t) as y(t) = a(t) n(t), where n(t) is a narrowband gaussian process and a(t) is a slowly varying random process, independent of n(t), that 'modulates' n(t). The detection of known signals in additive generalized 't' noise is considered, and the receiver that minimizes the probability of error found to be a nonlinear 'logarithmic-correlator' receiver. Analytical and experimental results indicate that the probability of error achieved by this receiver in the presence of additive atmospheric noise.