Attenuation of electromagnetic wave propagation in Martian dust storms.

Mars dust storms can significantly affect the radio communication link. In this paper, we proposed a predictive model based on Rayleigh theory. The attenuation of electromagnetic waves (EMWs) propagation in Martian dust storms is calculated using the model, in which the total dust optical depth, the charges carried by Mars dust particles, equivalent radius of Mars dust particles and the EMWs frequency are considered simultaneously. It is found that the charges enhance the absorption of EMWs by Martian dust storms, resulting in a significant attenuation of EMWs in Martian dust storms when at the UHF/S/X/Ka band. While at the Terahertz band, the attenuation is not affected by the charge carried on the dust particle, and the attenuation is more significant. The attenuation is positively related to the total dust optical depth. Furthermore, the attenuation range of EMWs in the Mars communication band of interest in a Martian dust storm was investigated. Our results provide a reference for EMWs propagation in Martian dust storms and it is important to the future Martian communication design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]