A Physics-Based Study of Multipath Coherence in Wireless Communication Channels

This study looks at how reflected wireless signals affect signal stability. We built a two-dimensional computer simulation with one transmitter, one moving receiver, one direct path, and several reflected paths from objects in the environment. At each receiver position, the program adds direct and reflected electric fields while keeping track of distance, phase, and signal strength. The simulation then calculates received power, instantaneous coherence, and local coherence. The results show how movement and surrounding objects can cause interference, fading, and changes in signal stability. Instead of using only statistical fading models such as Rayleigh and Rician fading, this model calculates each path directly from the transmitter, receiver, and reflector locations. Ensemble simulations show that increasing reflector count lowers mean local coherence, while higher carrier frequencies exhibit stronger sensitivity to geometry.