Last Updated: 05/16/2025

PHaRLAP

Version: 4.7

PHaRLAP is a MATLAB toolbox for the study and modelling of the propagation of High Frequency (HF) radio waves in the Earth's ionosphere. It provides 2D and fully magneto-ionic 3D numerical ray tracing (NRT) engines, analytical ray tracing (ART) routines and the necessary supporting routines.

Caveats:

The numerical ray trace routines require gridded profiles of the Earth's ionosphere and magnetic field. Users supply their own models or employ the International Reference Ionophere and International Geomagnetic Reference Field models supplied with PHaRLAP.

Inputs

UT date and time, frequency, elevation, and azimuth angles of the wave’s starting point, and latitude and longitude of the source location, number of hops, background ionosphere, collision frequency and geomagnetic field.

Outputs

Properties of the wave along its path such as group range, phase, attenuation, coordinates of potential reflection from the ionosphere, coordinates of arrival to ground, etc.

Model is time-dependent.

Change Log

Domains

  • Global Ionosphere

Space Weather Impacts

  • Ionosphere variability (navigation, communications)

Phenomena

  • Variablility of Plasma Density
  • Equatorial Anomaly
  • Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances
  • HF Signal Absorption

Publications

Code

Code Languages: FORTRAN 2008, MATLAB, and C

Contacts

Publication Policy

Please add the following acknowledgement to any published material which contains results obtained using this toolbox:

"The results published in this paper were obtained using the HF propagation toolbox, PHaRLAP, created by Dr Manuel Cervera, Defence Science and Technology Group, Australia (manuel.cervera@dsto.defence.gov.au). This toolbox is available by request from its author."

In addition to any model-specific policy, please refer to the General Publication Policy.