Electromagnetic Wave Propagation Along a Buried Insulated Wire

Abstract

Propagation along a thin dielectric coated wire parallel to the interface between two homogeneous half-spaces is considered. The solution accounts for the presence of the interface provided the coating radius is small compared with the distance to the interface. The final results are simplified in form when dealing with long insulated antennas buried in the earth and operating at low frequencies. Some numerical data are provided for a representative set of conditions. It is found that the presence of the air/earth interface will modify the propagation constant; in some cases the attenuation rate may be increased over that for an infinite medium.