请教：component waves是啥？

分量波？将信号函数在一组正交函数下分解所得？
没有上下文，瞎猜的。

原文：
  The coherence of two mobile-radio signals of different frequencies is shown to depend on the statistical distribution of the relative time delays in the arrival of the component waves, and the coherent bandwidth is shown to be the inverse of the spread in time delays.
   出自R.H.Clarke的《A Statistical Theory of Mobile-Radio Reception》
   麻烦看看再指点一下，谢谢。