Ray Tracing in Python Utilizing the PHaRLAP Engine

Provision of High-Frequency Raytracing Laboratory for Propagation (PHaRLAP) is an ionospheric ray tracing library developed by the Australian Department of Defence (DOD). PHaRLAP is freely available as a MATLAB toolbox downloadable from an Australian DOD website. PHaRLAP is capable of numerically ray tracing radio propagation paths using 2D and 3D algorithms through model ionospheres, most typically the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI). In an effort to make PHaRLAP available to a wider user community we are porting the PHaRLAP MATLAB toolbox to the open source Python 3 language while retaining the original core PHaRLAP computational engine. In this presentation, we describe the architecture of the new Python 3 PHaRLAP interface and demonstrate examples of 2D ray traces using the new interface.