Centimeter Waves
The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Centimeter Waves
radio waves having a wavelength λ between 1 and 10 cm (a frequency between 30 and 3 gigahertz). They pass through the earth’s atmosphere with little distortion. Absorption of centimeter waves in the troposphere by water vapor and raindrops is substantial only for waves with λ < 3 cm, and the ionosphere is practically transparent for these waves. Centimeter waves can therefore be used for the operation of communications satellites and communications links between the earth and outer space (seeSPACE COMMUNICATIONS). Under terrestrial conditions, centimeter waves propagate within line-of-sight limits. They can propagate over greater distances by being scattered from inhomogeneities in the troposphere (seeRADIO-WAVE PROPAGATION).
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
References in periodicals archive
These waves--known as millimeter or
centimeter waves because they have wavelengths of about one centimeter--penetrate clothing and bounce off who is being screened and the items he or she may be carrying.
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