One way of outlining the subject of ''radio science'' is listing the topics associated with it by authoritative bodies.

Union of Radio Science International (URSI)

The

International Union of Radio Science The International Union of Radio Science (abbreviated ''URSI'', after its French name, french: link=no, Union radio-scientifique internationale) is one of 26 international scientific unions affiliated to the International Council for Science ( ...

has several commissions corresponding to the following topics of interest: * Commission A –

Electromagnetic In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of a ...

metrology **

Antennas In radio engineering, an antenna or aerial is the interface between radio waves propagating through space and electric currents moving in metal conductors, used with a transmitter or receiver. In transmission, a radio transmitter supplies a ...

** Atomic-based

mechatronics Mechatronics engineering also called mechatronics, is an interdisciplinary branch of engineering that focuses on the integration of mechanical, electrical and electronic engineering systems, and also includes a combination of robotics, electronics, ...

** Bioeffects and medical applications **

Electromagnetic compatibility Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) is the ability of electrical equipment and systems to function acceptably in their electromagnetic environment, by limiting the unintentional generation, propagation and reception of electromagnetic energy whic ...

(EMC) and EM Metrology, metrology **

High-frequency High frequency (HF) is the ITU designation for the range of radio frequency electromagnetic waves (radio waves) between 3 and 30 megahertz (MHz). It is also known as the decameter band or decameter wave as its wavelengths range from one to ten ...

and Millimetre, millimeter wireless metrology ** Micropower impulse radar, Impulse radar ** Interconnector, Interconnect and packaging ** Materials ** Measurements and

calibration In measurement technology and metrology, calibration is the comparison of measurement values delivered by a device under test with those of a calibration standard of known accuracy. Such a standard could be another measurement device of know ...

in propagation **

Microwave Microwave is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelengths ranging from about one meter to one millimeter corresponding to frequencies between 300 MHz and 300 GHz respectively. Different sources define different frequency ran ...

to sub-millimeter measurements/standards **

Noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...

Quantum metrology Quantum metrology is the study of making high-resolution and highly sensitive measurements of physical parameters using quantum theory to describe the physical systems, particularly exploiting quantum entanglement and quantum squeezing. This fie ...

and fundamental concepts **

Space plasma The interplanetary medium (IPM) or interplanetary space consists of the mass and energy which fills the Solar System, and through which all the larger Solar System bodies, such as planets, dwarf planets, asteroids, and comets, move. The IPM sto ...

characterization ** Techniques for

remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...

** Test facilities ** Tetrahertz (THz) metrology ** Time and

frequency Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit of time. It is also occasionally referred to as ''temporal frequency'' for clarity, and is distinct from ''angular frequency''. Frequency is measured in hertz (Hz) which is eq ...

Time-domain Time domain refers to the analysis of mathematical functions, physical signals or time series of economic or environmental data, with respect to time. In the time domain, the signal or function's value is known for all real numbers, for the cas ...

metrology * Commission B – Fields and waves ** Antenna arrays **

: recent advances and future outlook **

Antenna theory In radio engineering, an antenna or aerial is the interface between radio waves propagating through space and electric currents moving in metal conductors, used with a transmitter or receiver. In transmission, a radio transmitter supplies a ...

** design and measurements **

Cognitive radio A cognitive radio (CR) is a radio that can be programmed and configured dynamically to use the best wireless channels in its vicinity to avoid user interference and congestion. Such a radio automatically detects available channels in wireless spe ...

** Complex media ***

bandgap In solid-state physics, a band gap, also called an energy gap, is an energy range in a solid where no electronic states can exist. In graphs of the electronic band structure of solids, the band gap generally refers to the energy difference (in ...

structures *** biological ***

geophysical Geophysics () is a subject of natural science concerned with the physical processes and physical properties of the Earth and its surrounding space environment, and the use of quantitative methods for their analysis. The term ''geophysics'' som ...

media ***

metamaterials A metamaterial (from the Ancient Greek, Greek word Meta, μετά ''meta'', meaning "beyond" or "after", and the Latin word ''materia'', meaning "matter" or "material") is any material engineered to have a property that is not found in naturally ...

*** and others ** Educational methods and tools **

interaction and coupling ** Guided waves and waveguiding structures **

techniques **

Imaging Imaging is the representation or reproduction of an object's form; especially a visual representation (i.e., the formation of an image). Imaging technology is the application of materials and methods to create, preserve, or duplicate images. ...

inverse scattering In mathematics and physics, the inverse scattering problem is the problem of determining characteristics of an object, based on data of how it scatters incoming radiation or particles. It is the inverse problem to the direct scattering problem, wh ...

and

Mathematical modeling A mathematical model is a description of a system using mathematical concepts and language. The process of developing a mathematical model is termed mathematical modeling. Mathematical models are used in the natural sciences (such as physics, b ...

of electromagnetic problems **

Microstrip antenna In telecommunication, a microstrip antenna (also known as a printed antenna) usually means an antenna fabricated using photolithographic techniques on a printed circuit board (PCB). It is a kind of internal antenna. They are mostly used at mic ...

s and printed devices ** Multiphysics electromagnetics **

Nanoscale The nanoscopic scale (or nanoscale) usually refers to structures with a length scale applicable to nanotechnology, usually cited as 1–100 nanometers (nm). A nanometer is a billionth of a meter. The nanoscopic scale is (roughly speaking) a lo ...

electromagnetics **

Nonlinear In mathematics and science, a nonlinear system is a system in which the change of the output is not proportional to the change of the input. Nonlinear problems are of interest to engineers, biologists, physicists, mathematicians, and many other ...

electromagnetics **

Numerical methods Numerical analysis is the study of algorithms that use numerical approximation (as opposed to symbolic manipulations) for the problems of mathematical analysis (as distinguished from discrete mathematics). It is the study of numerical methods th ...

*** differential-and integral-equation based *** hybrid and other techniques **

Optical phenomena Optical phenomena are any observable events that result from the interaction of light and matter. All optics, optical phenomena coincide with Quantum mechanics, quantum phenomena. Common optical phenomena are often due to the interaction of ligh ...

** Optimization techniques in

electromagnetics In physics, electromagnetism is an interaction that occurs between particles with electric charge. It is the second-strongest of the four fundamental interactions, after the strong force, and it is the dominant force in the interactions of ...

** Propagation phenomena and effects ** Rough surfaces and random media **

Scattering Scattering is a term used in physics to describe a wide range of physical processes where moving particles or radiation of some form, such as light or sound, are forced to deviate from a straight trajectory by localized non-uniformities (including ...

and

diffraction Diffraction is defined as the interference or bending of waves around the corners of an obstacle or through an aperture into the region of geometrical shadow of the obstacle/aperture. The diffracting object or aperture effectively becomes a s ...

** Theoretical electromagnetics ** THz antennas and propagation ** Transient fields effects and systems **

Ultra-wideband Ultra-wideband (UWB, ultra wideband, ultra-wide band and ultraband) is a radio technology that can use a very low energy level for short-range, high-bandwidth communications over a large portion of the radio spectrum. UWB has traditional applicati ...

electromagnetics **

Wireless communications Wireless communication (or just wireless, when the context allows) is the transfer of information between two or more points without the use of an electrical conductor, optical fiber or other continuous guided medium for the transfer. The most ...

* Commission C – Radiocommunication systems and signal processing **

and

software-defined radio Software-defined radio (SDR) is a radio communication system where components that have been traditionally implemented in analog hardware (e.g. mixers, filters, amplifiers, modulators/demodulators, detectors, etc.) are instead implemented by me ...

** Distributed sensor networks and sensors array processing ** Energy-efficient ("green") communications **

Information theory Information theory is the scientific study of the quantification (science), quantification, computer data storage, storage, and telecommunication, communication of information. The field was originally established by the works of Harry Nyquist a ...

, coding, modulation and detection **

MIMO In radio, multiple-input and multiple-output, or MIMO (), is a method for multiplying the capacity of a radio link using multiple transmission and receiving antennas to exploit multipath propagation. MIMO has become an essential element of wir ...

and MISO systems ** Novel radio communication systems ** Physics-based

signal processing Signal processing is an electrical engineering subfield that focuses on analyzing, modifying and synthesizing ''signals'', such as audio signal processing, sound, image processing, images, and scientific measurements. Signal processing techniq ...

** Radar target detection, localization, and tracking ** Radio localization and positioning **

Signal In signal processing, a signal is a function that conveys information about a phenomenon. Any quantity that can vary over space or time can be used as a signal to share messages between observers. The ''IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing'' ...

and

image processing An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensiona ...

Spectrum A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...

and medium utilization ** Statistical signal processing of waves in random media ** Synthetic aperture and space-time processing **

Wireless networking A wireless network is a computer network that uses wireless data connections between network nodes. Wireless networking is a method by which homes, telecommunications networks and business installations avoid the costly process of introducing c ...

* Commission D –

Electronics The field of electronics is a branch of physics and electrical engineering that deals with the emission, behaviour and effects of electrons using electronic devices. Electronics uses active devices to control electron flow by amplification ...

and

photonics Photonics is a branch of optics that involves the application of generation, detection, and manipulation of light in form of photons through emission, transmission, modulation, signal processing, switching, amplification, and sensing. Though ...

Broadband In telecommunications, broadband is wide bandwidth data transmission which transports multiple signals at a wide range of frequencies and Internet traffic types, that enables messages to be sent simultaneously, used in fast internet connections. ...

ubiquitous network **

Energy harvesting Energy harvesting (EH, also known as power harvesting or energy scavenging or ambient power) is the process by which energy is derived from external sources (e.g., solar power, thermal energy, wind energy, salinity gradients, and kinetic energ ...

in wireless systems **

Fiber laser A fiber laser (or fibre laser in British English) is a laser in which the active gain medium is an optical fiber doped with rare-earth elements such as erbium, ytterbium, neodymium, dysprosium, praseodymium, thulium and holmium. They are related t ...

s and solid state lasers **

Graphene Graphene () is an allotrope of carbon consisting of a single layer of atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice nanostructure.

nanoelectronics applications ** Multi-physics modelling in radio frequency nanoelectronics **

Optical sensor A sensor is a device that produces an output signal for the purpose of sensing a physical phenomenon. In the broadest definition, a sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem that detects events or changes in its environment and sends ...

s and

biosensor A biosensor is an analytical device, used for the detection of a chemical substance, that combines a biological component with a physicochemical detector. The ''sensitive biological element'', e.g. tissue, microorganisms, organelles, cell recep ...

s **

Plasmonics Plasmonics or nanoplasmonics refers to the generation, detection, and manipulation of signals at optical frequencies along metal-dielectric interfaces in the nanometer scale. Inspired by photonics, plasmonics follows the trend of miniaturizing opt ...

RF MEMS RF is an abbreviation for radio frequency. Rf or RF may also mean: Arts and entertainment * ''Red Faction (series)'', a series of revolution video games * Rinforzando, , in music notation * '' RF Online'', an online RPG made by CCR Businesses * ...

and NEMS ** Signal processing antennas ** 60

GHz The hertz (symbol: Hz) is the unit of frequency in the International System of Units (SI), equivalent to one event (or cycle) per second. The hertz is an SI derived unit whose expression in terms of SI base units is s−1, meaning that one he ...

electronics ** Trends in

RFID Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. An RFID system consists of a tiny radio transponder, a radio receiver and transmitter. When triggered by an electromag ...

for identification and sensing ** Trends in THz communications * Commission E – Electromagnetic environment and interference ** Communication in the presence of

noise Noise is unwanted sound considered unpleasant, loud or disruptive to hearing. From a physics standpoint, there is no distinction between noise and desired sound, as both are vibrations through a medium, such as air or water. The difference arise ...

Crosstalk In electronics, crosstalk is any phenomenon by which a signal transmitted on one circuit or channel of a transmission system creates an undesired effect in another circuit or channel. Crosstalk is usually caused by undesired capacitive, induc ...

education **

measurements and standards ** Electromagnetic noise of natural origin ** Electromagnetic radiation hazards ** High-power effects of transients on electronic systems **

Spectrum management Spectrum management is the process of regulating the use of radio frequencies to promote efficient use and gain a net social benefit.Martin Cave, Chris Doyle, William Webb, ''Modern Spectrum Management'', Cambridge University Press, 2007 The term ...

and utilization * Commission F – Wave propagation and

** Propagation measurements/models for fixed and mobile links ** Measurements of fixed and mobile channels ** Propagation models ** Multipath mitigation ** Fixed terrestrial links: measurements and design strategies ** Surface/atmosphere interaction **

Dispersion Dispersion may refer to: Economics and finance *Dispersion (finance), a measure for the statistical distribution of portfolio returns *Price dispersion, a variation in prices across sellers of the same item *Wage dispersion, the amount of variatio ...

/delay ** Effects of natural/man-made structures ** Outdoor to indoor propagation ** Multi link

channels ** UWB channel characteristics, Small cell propagation **

Remote sensing Remote sensing is the acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon without making physical contact with the object, in contrast to in situ or on-site observation. The term is applied especially to acquiring information about Earth ...

of the Earth/planets by radio waves ** Passive sensing at millimeter wavelengths **

Interferometry Interferometry is a technique which uses the ''interference'' of superimposed waves to extract information. Interferometry typically uses electromagnetic waves and is an important investigative technique in the fields of astronomy, fiber opt ...

and

SAR SAR or Sar may refer to: Places * Sar (river), Galicia, Spain * Sar, Bahrain, a residential district * Sar, Iran (disambiguation), several places in Iran * Sar, Tibet, Tibet Autonomous Region of China * Šar Mountains, in southeastern Europe ...

** Sensing of snow in open and forested environments ** Remote sensing of precipitation ** Atmospheric sensing ** Sensing of

soil moisture Soil moisture is the water content of the soil. It can be expressed in terms of volume or weight. Soil moisture measurement can be based on ''in situ'' probes (e.g., capacitance probes, neutron probes) or remote sensing methods. Water that enters ...

and

biomass Biomass is plant-based material used as a fuel for heat or electricity production. It can be in the form of wood, wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Some people use the terms bi ...

** Ocean and ice sensing **

Urban environments An urban area, built-up area or urban agglomeration is a human settlement with a high population density and infrastructure of built environment. Urban areas are created through urbanization and are categorized by urban morphology as cities, t ...

Radio Frequency Interference Electromagnetic interference (EMI), also called radio-frequency interference (RFI) when in the radio frequency spectrum, is a disturbance generated by an external source that affects an electrical circuit by electromagnetic induction, electrost ...

(RFI) ** Underground imaging ** Propagation and remote sensing in complex and random media * Commission G –

Ionospheric The ionosphere () is the ionized part of the upper atmosphere of Earth, from about to above sea level, a region that includes the thermosphere and parts of the mesosphere and exosphere. The ionosphere is ionized by solar radiation. It plays a ...

radio and propagation ** Ionospheric imaging ** Ionospheric morphology ** Ionospheric modeling and data assimilation ** Radar and radio techniques for ionospheric diagnostics ** Space weather – radio effects ** Transionospheric radio propagation and systems effects * Commission H – Waves in plasma ** Chaos and turbulence in plasma **

Plasma instabilities The stability of a plasma is an important consideration in the study of plasma physics. When a system containing a plasma is at equilibrium, it is possible for certain parts of the plasma to be disturbed by small perturbative forces acting on it ...

and wave propagation ** Spacecraft-plasma interactions ** Solar/planetary plasma interactions ** Wave-wave and wave-particle interactions ** Waves in laboratory plasmas * Commission J –

Radio astronomy Radio astronomy is a subfield of astronomy that studies celestial objects at radio frequencies. The first detection of radio waves from an astronomical object was in 1933, when Karl Jansky at Bell Telephone Laboratories reported radiation coming f ...

** Detection of short-duration transients ** Developments in array technology for radio astronomy ** New telescopes, techniques, and observations ** Radio frequency interference mitigation and spectrum usage **

Square Kilometre Array The Square Kilometre Array (SKA) is an intergovernmental international radio telescope project being built in Australia (low-frequency) and South Africa (mid-frequency). The combining infrastructure, the Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKA ...

** Timely technical tutorials * Commission K – Electromagnetics in biology and medicine ** Biological effects **

Dosimetry Radiation dosimetry in the fields of health physics and radiation protection is the measurement, calculation and assessment of the ionizing radiation dose absorbed by an object, usually the human body. This applies both internally, due to ingested o ...

and

exposure assessment Exposure assessment is a branch of environmental science and occupational hygiene that focuses on the processes that take place at the interface between the environment containing the contaminant of interest and the organism being considered. ...

** Electromagnetic imaging and sensing applications ** Human body interactions with antennas and other electromagnetic devices ** Therapeutic, rehabilitative, and other biomedical applications

International Telecommunication Union (ITU-R)

The

International Telecommunication Union The International Telecommunication Union is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for many matters related to information and communication technologies. It was established on 17 May 1865 as the International Telegraph Unio ...

(ITU) Radiocommunication Sector (ITU-R) has several study groups, each made of working parties, as follows: * Study Group 1 – Spectrum management ** 1A: Spectrum engineering techniques ** 1B: Spectrum management methodologies and economic strategies ** 1C: Spectrum monitoring * Study Group 3 – Radiowave propagation ** 3J: Propagation fundamentals ** 3K: Point-to-area propagation ** 3L: Ionospheric propagation and radio noise ** 3M: Point-to-point and Earth-space propagation * Study Group 4 – Satellite services ** 4A: Efficient orbit/spectrum utilization for the

fixed-satellite service Fixed-satellite service (short: FSS | also: fixed-satellite radiocommunication service) is – according to ''article 1.21'' of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Radio Regulations (RR) – defined as ''A radiocommunication se ...

(FSS) and

broadcasting-satellite service Broadcasting-satellite service (short: BSS | also: ''broadcasting-satellite radiocommunication service '') is – according to ''Article 1.39'' of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Radio Regulations (RR) – defined as ''«A ...

(BSS) ** 4B: Systems, air interfaces, performance and availability objectives for the fixed-satellite service (FSS), broadcasting-satellite service (BSS) and

mobile-satellite service Mobile-satellite service (MSS, or mobile-satellite radiocommunication service) is – according to Article 1.25 of the International Telecommunication Union's Radio Regulations – "A radiocommunication service * between mobile earth stations and ...

(MSS), including IP-based applications and

satellite news gathering Electronic news-gathering (ENG) or electronic journalism (EJ) is usage of electronic video and audio technologies by reporters to gather and present news instead of using film cameras. The term was coined during the rise of videotape technol ...

(SNG) ** 4C: Efficient orbit/spectrum utilization for the mobile-satellite service (MSS) and the

radiodetermination-satellite service Radiodetermination-satellite service is – according to ''Article 1.41'' of the International Telecommunication Union's (ITU) Radio Regulations (RR) – defined as «''A radiocommunication service for the purpose of radiodetermination involving ...

(RDSS) * Study Group 5 – Terrestrial services ** 5A: Land mobile service above 30 MHz (excluding IMT); wireless access in the fixed service; amateur and amateur-satellite services ** 5B: Maritime mobile service including the

Global Maritime Distress and Safety System The Global Maritime Distress and Safety System (GMDSS) is a worldwide system for automated emergency signal communication for ships at sea developed by the United Nations' International Maritime Organization (IMO) as part of the SOLAS Conventio ...

(GMDSS); the aeronautical mobile service and the

radiodetermination As defined by FS-1037C and ITU Radio Regulations, radiodeterminationITU Radio Regulations, Section IV. Radio Stations and Systems – Article 1.9, definition: ''radiodetermination'' is: "the determination of the position, velocity or other charact ...

service ** 5C: Fixed wireless systems; HF and other systems below 30 MHz in the fixed and land mobile services ** 5D: IMT systems ( International Mobile Telecommunications) * Study Group 6 – Broadcasting service ** 6A: Terrestrial broadcasting delivery ** 6B: Broadcast service assembly and access ** 6C: Programme production and quality assessment * Study Group 7 – Science services ** 7A: Time signals and frequency standard emissions: Systems and applications (terrestrial and satellite) for dissemination of

standard time Standard time is the synchronisation of clocks within a geographical region to a single time standard, rather than a local mean time standard. Generally, standard time agrees with the local mean time at some meridian that passes through the r ...

and frequency signals ** 7B: Space radiocommunication applications: Systems for transmission/reception of telecommunicated and tele-metry data ** 7C: Remote sensing systems: for space operation and for space research ** 7D:

: remote sensing systems and applications for Earth exploration meteorology and planetary sensing.

References

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Radio science One way of outlining the subject of ''radio science'' is listing the topics associated with it by authoritative bodies. Union of Radio Science International (URSI) The International Union of Radio Science has several commissions corresponding to ...