Real-Time Inversion Method of Uneven Atmospheric Ducts in Actual Environments via Refraction Propagation Law

In this paper, we propose a direct spatial domain inversion method based on the law of refraction propagation, with its computational logic shifting from "amplitude matching" to "trajectory reconstruction". The main purpose of this method is to analyze the changes in the direction of the rays section by section by utilizing the physical relationship between the radar elevation Angle and the scattering position of sea clutter, combined with the propagation characteristics of the electromagnetic wave refraction trajectory in the atmospheric duct, and to inversely calculate the vertical distribution of the atmospheric refractive index based on the refraction law. Furthermore, by varying transmission parameters to obtain refractive information along different paths, the method naturally extends to the inversion of two-dimensional horizontal distributions, overcoming the limitation of existing techniques that are restricted to single-point vertical profiles. Validation demonstrates that this method achieves high accuracy in both single-point profile inversion and horizontally extended profile distribution inversion. Moreover, its non-iterative inversion mechanism confers a significant efficiency advantage, making it better suited for real-time or quasi-realtime inversion applications in practical scenarios and offering a new technical approach for high-resolution, high-efficiency detection of atmospheric ducts.