USE OF GREEN'S FUNCTION IN THE SOLUTION OF IONOSPHERIC DIFFUSION PROBLEMS

The mathematical analogy between diffusion of ions in the ionosphere and heat conduction in a rod is used to solve the problem of diffusion with an attachment-type law of electron loss. The solution for the case of a constant loss coefficient is obtained in terms of Green's function for the semi-infinite conducting solid. For the case of a loss coefficient which decreases exponentially with height a generalized heat-source is derived and the problem is solved in terms of the corresponding Green's function.