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← ScienceWhich propagation delay occurs when a radio wave encounters significant atmospheric ionization?
A)Group velocity index increases sharply
B)Phase velocity is greatly reduced✓
C)Signal bandwidth will increase drastically
D)Refractive index approaches unity
💡 Explanation
Ionization affects radio wave velocity because the wave's electric field interacts with free electrons, causing the electrons to oscillate, resulting in a decrease in phase velocity, a form of wave dispersion. Therefore, phase velocity reduces, rather than refractive index changing, due to electron oscillations.
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