Plasma physics and radio communications

[Linnea]

Interest in plasma physics initially developed because of radio communications and the effect of Earth’s ionosphere on radio-wave transmission. Because the ionosphere is essentially a plasma, ranging from approximately 50 to 600 miles (80 to 965 kilometers) above the planet’s surface, radio waves are partly absorbed by ionized air and in part refracted, or bent downward. The bending effect makes possible reception at distances much greater than for signals sent in a straight line, ones that could not follow the curvature of the globe.

space.com article

How the earth's magnetosphere interacts with solar energies:

space.com article
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