Wideband terrestrial microwave propagation simulations using interpolation in frequency domain

Wideband applications become still more important in terrestrial microwave communications nowadays. Propagation conditions significantly affect the quality of microwave communication systems. In order to assess the influence of inhomogeneous atmosphere on the propagation conditions, simulations of electromagnetic wave propagation are utilized. A parabolic equation method (PEM) is often applied for the purpose of terrestrial microwave simulations. This method can calculate single frequency response efficiently. This paper deals with an application of an interpolation technique to speed the calculation of a wideband frequency response at one receiver point. A complex received signal is modeled as the weighted sum of complex exponentials. The complex exponential model parameters are extracted by means of the matrix pencil method. Numerical examples of the application of the method are introduced. Results are compared with the channel transfer functions computed using repeated PEM simulations. Computational cost of both methods is compared and robustness of the interpolation method is discussed.