Recent improvements in microwave techniques have resulted in precise meas urements at the National Bureau of Standards, t he National Physical Laboratory , and elsewhere, which indicate t hat t he conventional constants K\= 79 K /mb and K 2'= 4,800 K in the expression for the refractivity of air , N = (n -1) 106= (K d T ) [p + K 2' (e / T ) ] should be revised . Various laboratories appear to have arrived at t his conclusion independently, wit.h the res ul t t hat t here are several different sets of constants in current use. In much of propagation work the absolute value of the refractive index of t he atmosphere is of small moment. However, in some work it is important, and it seems highly desiI able t o decide upon a particular set of constants.
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Smith et al. (1953) studied this question.