A Geometric-Stochastic Integrated Channel Model for Hypersonic Vehicle: A Physical Perspective

During hypersonic flight, the communication link is affected by the multipath effect and plasma sheath. As a result, envelopes and phases of the wireless signals fluctuate with time. In this paper, an integrated channel model is proposed based on geometric propagation theory. The statistical characteristics of the plasma sheath channel are carefully studied. The probability density functions, the correlation coefficient between envelope and phase, the autocorrelation function, the level-crossing rate, and the average fade duration are derived and detailed based on electromagnetic propagation theory. Two numerical examples are also used to demonstrate the effectiveness of the model. All statistical curves agree with the theoretical curves. The proposed model comprehensively considers the multipath effect, the Doppler effect, and the plasma sheath effect. It is crucial to plausibly understand the blackout problem to facilitate performance evaluations of hypersonic vehicle communication systems.