The well-known "Sommerfeld radiation problem" of a small -Hertzian-vertical dipole above flat lossy ground is reconsidered. The problem is examined in the spectral domain, through which it is proved to yield relatively simple integral expressions for the received Electromagnetic (EM) field. Then, using the Saddle Point method, novel analytical expressions for the scattered EM field are obtained, including sliding observation angles. As a result, a closed form solution for the subject matter is provided. Also, the necessary conditions for the emergence of the so-called Surface Wave are discussed as well. A complete mathematical formulation is presented, with detailed derivations where necessary.

In this paper we reconsider the problem of radiation from a vertical short (Hertzian) dipole above flat lossy ground, which represents the well-known in the literature 'Sommerfeld radiation problem'. Particularly, we expand on the problem's solution in the spectral domain, which ends up into simple one dimensional (1-D) integral expressions for the received EM field and represent the exact EM solution to the aforementioned problem. The advantage of the derived expressions is based on the fact that they can be analytically evaluated through the use of the Stationary Phase Method (SPM), which however is valid in the high frequency regime. To our knowledge, the literature lacks specifying the exact frequency range over which the SPM method is applicable. Hence, in this paper numerical integration on the above mentioned integral expressions is applied and the results are compared with those obtained through the SPM. These comparisons are then used as the basis of determining the frequency limits of applicability of the SPM solution. In fact it is shown that due to the specific peculiarities of the integrated expressions, which possess certain singularities, it is often preferable to use the SPM method as the best estimate for the received signal level, especially for most practical frequencies of interest in the area of wireless telecommunications. Additional practical implications that these findings suggest, as well as further research to be triggered, as a result of the overall progress that has been made by our research group so far on the specific subject, are provided as well.

In this paper we examine the problem of radiation from a vertical short (Hertzian) dipole above flat lossy ground, known in the literature as the 'Sommerfeld radiation problem'. Our formulation is in the spectral domain and ends up into simple one dimensional integral expressions for the received electromagnetic (EM) field, representing the exact solution of the problem. The problem can be solved analytically in an approximate sense in the high frequency regime using the Stationary Phase Method (SPM). In this paper the above spectral integrals for the received EM field are also mathematically represented as integrals over the 'grazing angle', a formulation that allows for a more accurate calculation since it avoids the singularities of the integrand expression. Also, a new SPM analytical solution, based on the above novel integral representation is obtained. Numerical comparisons between our SPM solution and the integral representations for the received EM field show that neither the horizontal Transmitter-Receiver distance, nor the frequency of operation are alone sufficient indicators regarding the most appropriate method to use (SPM or Numerical Integration). Instead, such a decision is to be based on their combined effect, given by their product k•r (electric distance).

A recently developed high-frequency asymptotic solution for the famous “Sommerfeld radiation problem” is revisited. The solution is based on an analysis performed in the spectral domain, through which a compact asymptotic formula describes the behavior of the EM field, which emanates from a vertical Hertzian radiating dipole, located above flat, lossy ground. The paper is divided into two parts. We first demonstrate an efficient technique for the accurate numerical calculation of the well-known Sommerfeld integrals. The results are compared against alternative calculation approaches and validated with the corresponding Norton figures for the surface wave. In the second part, we introduce the asymptotic solution and investigate its performance; we compare the solution with the accurate numerical evaluation for the received EM field and with a more basic asymptotic solution to the given problem, obtained via the application of the Stationary Phase Method. Simulations for various frequencies, distances, altitudes, and ground characteristics are illustrated and inferences for the applicability of the solution are made. Finally, special cases leading to analytical field expressions close as well as far from the interface are examined.

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