Tropospheric Delay from VLBI and GNSS Measurements

Using an updated version of the QUASAR software package developed at the Institute of Applied Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, we have processed the VLBI observations within the international CONT14 program (May 6–20, 2014), in which a global network of 17 stations was involved (a total of ~250 000 observations). The package update concerned the optimization of data structure and the refinement of stochastic models for the random variations in wet tropospheric delay and atomic clock difference. The main goal of this paper is to compare the VLBI determinations of the tropospheric delay with its independent determinations using global navigation satellite systems (GNSS). We show that both these determinations agree well between themselves only in the case of a global analysis of the VLBI observations, where the VLBI station coordinates are also refined, along with the tropospheric delay and the clock synchronization and Earth orientation parameters. If, alternatively, the station coordinates are insufficiently accurate and are not refined from VLBI observations, then it is appropriate not to determine the tropospheric delay from these observations, but to take it from the publicly accessible independent GNSS data. However, this requires that the VLBI and GNSS techniques operate simultaneously at a common observing site. We have established the shortcomings of the universally accepted method of stabilizing the global solution associated with the absence of a criterion for choosing reference stations and radio sources. Two ways of their elimination are proposed: (i) introducing a coordinated list of weight factors for the errors in the coordinates of such stations and sources into the stabilization algorithm and (ii) adopting a coordinated list of stations and sources the refinement of whose coordinates is not required at all for a certain time.     

Results of the first two years of VLBI observations at the Svetloe Observatory within the framework of international geodynamical programs

We present the results of processing the VLBI observations performed at the Svetloe Observatory of the Institute of Applied Astronomy (IAA), Russian Academy of Sciences, in the period 2003–2005 within the framework of geodynamical programs of the International VLBI Service (IVS) for geodesy and astrometry. We analyzed the observations at the Svetloe Observatory, together with the observations at other stations of the global IVS network, at the IAA using a modified OCCAM package. The package uses new reduction models that decrease the systematic errors of the results. The motion of the stations, primarily of the Svetloe Observatory, is investigated to study the global geotectonic processes. Highly accurate estimates of the coordinate and baseline length variations have been obtained for the first time in Russia from observations at a Russian VLBI station. We determined the coordinates and velocity of the Svetloe VLBI station with errors of ～2 mm and 3 mm yr^?1, respectively, and the baseline lengths between the stations with a sufficiently long observational history with an accuracy of 1–3 mm. The results are shown to be in good agreement with currently available models for the motion of tectonic plates.     

An Approach of Tropospheric Correction for VLBI Phase-Referencing using GPS Data

The dominant source of error in VLBI phase-referencing is the troposphere at observing frequencies above 5 GHz. We compare the tropospheric zenith delays derived from VLBI and GPS data at VLBA stations collocated with GPS antennas. The systematic biases and standard deviations both are at the level of sub-centimeter. Based on this agreement, we suggest a new method of tropospheric correction in phase-referencing using combined VLBI and GPS data.     

An Approach of Tropospheric Correction for VLBI Phase-Referencing using GPS Data

The dominant source of error in VLBI phase-referencing is the troposphere at observing frequencies above 5 GHz. We compare the tropospheric zenith delays derived from VLBI and GPS data at VLBA stations collocated with GPS antennas. The systematic biases and standard deviations both are at the level of sub-centimeter. Based on this agreement, we suggest a new method of tropospheric correction in phase-referencing using combined VLBI and GPS data.     

On the errors and stability of reference frames

The distribution of systematic errors in the coordinates of 1217 extragalactic radio sources included in the latest version of the ICRF2 (International Celestial Reference Frame) reference catalog has been mapped for the first time by processing VLBI observations from international astrometric and geodetic programs spanning the period 1980–2012. These errors are shown to reach ±1.0 mas (milliarcseconds). However, for a sample of 752 sources observed more than 100 times, these errors do not exceed ±0.2 mas, suggesting that ICRF2 is inhomogeneous. In addition, the individual stability of dozens of extragalactic radio sources and ground-based stations included in the latest version of the International Terrestrial Reference Frame, ITRF2005, has been investigated. Significant linear trends and anomalous shifts reaching ±20 µas (microarcseconds) have been detected for many of the sources. Significant systematic shifts have also been found for some of the reference stations. The results obtained stimulate a search for new methods of analyzing VLBI observations and ways of their global adjustment that would provide greater homogeneity and stability of the ICRF and ITRF. This is needed both to increase the accuracy of determining the astrometric, geodetic, and geodynamic parameters derived from these observations and to facilitate their physical interpretation. The work has been performed with the QUASAR multifunction software package developed at the Institute of Applied Astronomy of the Russian Academy of Sciences.     

Determination of the regional deformation rates of Shanghai and Kashima VLBI stations based on ITRF97

The vertical deformation rates (VDRs) and horizontal deformation rates (HDRs) of Shanghai VLBI station in China and Kashima and Kashima34 VLBI stations in Japan were re-analysed using the baseline length change rates from Shanghai to 13 global VLBI stations, and from Kashima to 27 stations and from Kashima34 to 12 stations, based on the NASA VLBI global solution glb1123 (Ma, 1999). The velocity vectors of the global VLBI stations were referred to the ITRF97 reference frame, and the Eulerian vectors of different models of plate motion were used for comparative solutions. The VDR of Shanghai station is estimated to be −1.91±0.56 mm/yr, and those of Kashima and Kashima34 stations, −3.72±0.74mm/yr and −8.81±0.84mm/yr, respectively. The difference between the last two was verified by further analysis. Similar estimates were also made for the Kokee, Kauai and MK_VLBA VLBI stations in mid-Pacific.     

星载氢钟VLBI观测实验及分析

中国计划于2025年左右建立月球轨道VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometer)测站,将会搭载被动型星载氢钟作为时间频率标准.由于是首次在VLBI观测中使用星载氢钟,需要研究和验证其可行性.因此,利用星载氢钟作为频率基准开展了VLBI观测.实验时,分别使用主动型地面氢钟和被动型星载氢钟作为频率基准,利用上海天文台佘山25 m射电望远镜和其他测站对我国火星探测器天问一号进行了交替VLBI观测.数据处理分析结果表明,基于地面氢钟与星载氢钟的VLBI残余群时延标准差均在0.5 ns以内,表明星载氢钟可满足深空探测VLBI测定轨的精度要求,验证了其作为月球VLBI测站频率基准的可行性.     

Variations in the integral fluxes and structure of the radio source 3C120

The variability of the radio source 3C120 is studied using data from the international geodesic VLBI observation programs at 8.6 GHz and regular monitoring over frequencies of 4.8–36.8 GHz carried out at the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory (Ukraine) and the Radio Astronomy Observatory of the University of Michigan (USA). A combined analysis of the integral fluxes and structures on millisecond scales reveals the existence of flares at high frequencies accompanied by the appearance of new VLBI components at centimeter wavelengths. It is found that the variations in the fluxes for 3C120 at various radio frequencies have delayed maxima at low frequencies, and the flare of 1998 was accompanied by the birth of a new superluminal component. __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 50, No. 3, pp. 325–334 (August 2007).     

CVN硬盘系统和软件相关处理在e-VLBI试验中的应用

介绍了中国VLBI网（CVN）的e-VLBI技术研究进展．CVN包括上海佘山、乌鲁木齐南山2个固定观测站和云南昆明的流动站，以及上海天文台的2台站硬件相关处理机。2003年上海天文台自行研制了基于PC技术的VLBI数据记录、回放系统，命名为CVN硬盘系统，并成功将其安置于CVN观测站和处理机系统。硬件处理机经过改造后，已能处理来自硬盘和原有磁带系统的数据．从2003年至今，中国VLBI网采用该硬盘系统进行了多次VLBI观测和e-VLBI试验。在CVN硬盘系统基础上，软件相关处理技术的研究也得以开展。软件相关处理原型程序已经被用于台站条纹检测、卫星条纹搜索和数据处理中。该软件获得的计算结果被成功用于国内第一个3台站卫星VLBI的延迟和延迟率闭合试验，以及国内首次利用VLBI数据进行的卫星定轨试验。除此之外，该软件还用作硬件处理机的条纹引导器。为适应未来“嫦娥”月球探测工程，CVN将扩展成含有4个观测站和2个相关处理机（硬件、软件）的实时VLBI网。今后，e-VLBI将被应用于月球卫星导航以及测地和天体物理的VLBI观测。     

Tidal deformations of the earth from VLBI observations

Based on an analysis of the VLBI observations performed in 1985?C2010 within the framework of international geodetic programs on global networks of stations, we have obtained statistically significant corrections to the parameters of lunisolar tides??the nominal complex Love/Shida numbers. The new integral (frequency-independent) values of these parameters (in 10^?4) are h ⁽⁰⁾ = (6113 ± 3) ? (33 ± 2)i, l ⁽⁰⁾ = (843 ± 1) ? (5 ± 2)i for a total tide; h ⁽⁰⁾ = (6106 ± 3) ? (10 ± 6)i, l ⁽⁰⁾ = (843 ± 1) ? (8 ± 1)i for diurnal tides; and h ⁽⁰⁾ = (6106 ± 3) ? (24 ± 3)i, l ⁽⁰⁾ = (843 ± 1) + (3 ± 1)i for semi-diurnal tides. We have detected a new effect of asymmetry in the horizontal tidal displacements in the direction of tectonic motions for 50 VLBI stations. We have determined upper limits for the influence of the frequency-dependent resonance effects whose estimation accuracy is limited by an abundance of close frequencies in their harmonic expansion. The influence of the transfer function for tides on the VLBI observations has turned out to be lower than the measurement accuracy. In future, positional GPS/GLONASS measurements are planned to be used to refine the resonance effects and the transfer function.     

The Experiment and Analysis on VLBI Observations of Space Passive Hydrogen Maser

China plans to establish a lunar orbital VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometer) station around 2025, which will carry a space passive hydrogen maser as the time and frequency reference. Since it is the first time to use a space passive hydrogen maser for VLBI observation, its feasibility needs to be studied and verified. Therefore, we carried out VLBI observations using the space passive hydrogen maser as the frequency reference. In the experiment, the active hydrogen atomic clock and space passive hydrogen maser were used as the frequency standard, and the alternate VLBI observations of China’s Mars probe TW1 (Tianwen 1) were carried out using the 25 m radio telescope at Sheshan, Shanghai, and other VLBI stations. The results of data processing and analysis show that the standard deviation of VLBI residual group delay based on both active hydrogen atomic clock and space passive hydrogen maser are within 0.5 ns, which indicates that the space passive hydrogen maser can meet the accuracy requirements of VLBI measurement for deep space exploration, and verify its feasibility as the frequency standard of lunar orbital VLBI stations.     

Electron content near the lunar surface using dual-frequency VLBI tracking data in a single lunar orbiter mission

In VLBI observations of Vstar, a subsatellite of the Japanese lunar mission SELENE, there were opportunities for lunar grazing occultation when Vstar was very close to the limb of the Moon. This kind of chance made it possible to probe the thin plasma layer above the Moon's surface as a meaningful by-product of VLBI,by using the radio occultation method with coherent radio waves from the S/X bands.The dual-frequency measurements were carried out at Earth-based VLBI stations. In the line-of-sight direction between the satellite and the ground-based tracking station where VLBI measurements were made, the effects of the terrestrial ionosphere, interplanetary plasma and the thin lunar ionosphere mixed together in the combined observables of dual-frequency Doppler shift and phase shift. To separate the variation of the ionospheric total electron content(TEC) near the surface of the Moon from the mixed signal, the influences of the terrestrial ionosphere and interplanetary plasma have been removed by using an extrapolation method based on a short-term trend. The lunar TEC is estimated from the dual-frequency observation for Vstar from UT 22:18to UT 22:20 on 2008 June 28 at several tracking stations. The TEC results obtained from VLBI sites are identical, however, they are not as remarkable as the result obtained at the Usuda deep space tracking station.     

以基线长度变化率为约束估算VLBI站的垂直形变率

基于NNR-NUVEL-1A地球板块运动模型和ITRF2000地球参考架的三维VLBI站速度矢量,采用实测的VLBI基线长度变化率作为约束,重新估计了部分国际VLBI站的局部或区域性地壳的垂直形变,并与国际地球参考架ITRFs解和VLBI全球解GLB2003,VTRF2003和VTRF2005的结果进行了比较。结果表明,欧亚板块的URUMQI站和太平洋板块的KWAJAL26站,南极OHIGGINS站的垂直形变率、ITRFs解和VLBI全球解存在6-15mm/a的差异,北美YUMA站可能有15-31mm/a 的垂直形变率,而美国西部太平洋板块的San Francisco(PRESIDIO)站的垂直形变率还有待进一步的研究。此外,SC-VLBA,CRIMEA和EFLSBERG站的垂直形变率、ITRFs解和VLBI全球解的差约为1-6mm/a。用不同方法得到的VLBI站的水平形变率解有较好的一致性。     

Early VLBI in the USSR

This article gives story of interferometer with independent elements (Very Long Baseline Interferometer) in Russia. At the end of February 1962 the author discussed with G.Ya. Gus'kov, DSN Station, Evpatorija a new type of radio interferometer and proposed an experiment between two DSN stations. In September 1962 he reported the new method and proposed a VLBI experiment at seminar of Radio Astronomical Laboratory, Pushino, and then at a seminar of Astronomical Institute GAISH which recommended to take out a Patent. In December GAISH sent documents to the Patent Bureau. In summer 1963 the author discussed with B. Lovell in Evpatorija the VLBI method of and we signed memorandum an Ev‐JB experiment at λ = 32 cm. In December 1963 the Patent Bureau permitted publication, and the paper was sent to Radiofizika. Really VLBI in the USSR began with the proposal of M. Cohen and K. Kellermann, February 1968, to do an experiment between 22‐m antenna Pushino and 43‐m Green Bank. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

VLBI MK5B通道检测软件的设计与实现

针对国际上VLBI专用硬盘记录终端升级到MK5B后,数据记录格式发生了显著变化,设计了能够适应MK5B数据格式的通道检测软件。MK5B通道检测软件主要用于检查硬盘记录器记录数据的可读性以及确认接收机和VLBI终端等观测设备的参数设定。在软件设计过程中,考虑到软件的可维护性及可移植性,采用面向对象的设计方法。通过对两段观测数据的处理表明,MK5B通道检测软件工作稳定,处理结果正确,能够满足工作需要。     

利用国内VLBI网跟踪大椭圆轨道卫星

2004年7月,昆明VLBI站经过改造,由上海、乌鲁木齐和昆明站组成的中国VLBI网(CVN)采用统一的MARK4格式编制器和CVN硬盘记录系统,对大椭圆轨道卫星“探测1号”的2圈轨道的共同可视弧段进行了跟踪观测．软件相关处理程序已成功地用于检测卫星遥测信号的干涉条纹和数据相关处理．采用基于条纹幅度的加权最小二乘条纹拟合方法,获得了卫星VLBI观测量及其精度估计,完成了卫星VLBI观测量的3基线闭合误差检验．应用河外射电源校准方法和多频点相位校正信号提取方法,进行了台站钟差和仪器延迟等系统误差改正．经系统差改正后的卫星VLBI观测量序列已用于“探测1号”卫星的轨道确定．     

VLBI标准接口的发展

VLBI标准接口是近年来在VLBI技术中诞生的一个新概念,它旨在解决多年来各VLBI数据传输系统不兼容的问题．该文阐述了VLBI数据传输系统的发展历史,包括传统的记录／回放系统和新兴的网络数据传输两方面的内容;说明了VLBI标准接口的作用和意义;并分别介绍了VLBI标准接口规范3方面的内容:VLBI标准接口件规范(VSI-H)、VLBI标准接口软件规范(VSI-S)和VLBI标准接口网络规范(VSI-E)．     

The most compact bright radio-loud AGN—I. A new target sample selected for the space VLBI

We investigated the archival ground-based VLBI images of the extragalactic radio sources included in both the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP) and the Planck catalogues, and selected 49 bright and compact sources as potential targets for space Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) observations at mm wavelengths. These sources have a flat radio continuum spectrum between 33 and 94 GHz. They are identified as core-dominated active galactic nuclei (AGN), located at declinations above ?40^°, and have never been observed with ground-based VLBI at 86 GHz. The radio properties of the 49 new sources are presented. We compare this new sample with similar samples of compact AGN available from earlier studies. The new candidates, together with the existing bright compact AGN sample identified from 86-GHz ground-based VLBI imaging surveys, form a catalogue of more than 160 AGN. These could be primary targets for mm-VLBI observations on the ground, as well as for future mm-wavelength space VLBI missions such as the project with two satellites currently under study in China.     

The λ=6 cm VLBI polarization structure of nine BL Lacertae objects

VLBI total intensity ( I ) and linear polarization ( P ) images at λ =6 cm have been obtained for nine radio-bright BL Lacertae objects. These are the first VLBI P images for these sources, and, in a number of cases, the first I images as well. They confirm the previously noted tendency for the jet magnetic fields of BL Lacertae objects to be transverse to the local jet direction, but also provide new evidence that a sizeable minority of BL Lacertae objects have VLBI jet components with longitudinal magnetic fields. In addition, two sources have VLBI jet components in which the direction of the electric vector χ bears no obvious relation to the apparent local jet direction; the origin of these arbitrary χ offsets is unclear. A new tentative superluminal speed of β =6.3  h ⁻¹ has been determined for 0828+493; tentative speeds for two knots in 1418+546 are β =4.3 and 2.5  h ⁻¹. This work is part of an ongoing programme to determine the VLBI I and P structure of all 34 sources in the 1-Jy sample of northern BL Lacertae objects defined by Kühr & Schmidt.     

并置VLBI站相对形变率及其与VTRF2005结果的比较

对杨志根等人在2005年估计的全球6个并置VLBI站的相对形变率(特别是相对垂直形变率)结果与最近的VLBI全球解VTRF2005的相应结果作了比较。结果表明,北美Greenbank的NRAO20和NRAO85_3两个VLBI站之间每年3—4mm的相对垂直形变率和Westford的WEST- FORD和HAYSTACK两个VLBI站间每年1-2mm的相应结果可以进一步得到肯定;太平洋夏威夷岛的KOKEE和KAUAI两个VLBI站每年2～5mm的相对水平形变率和日本鹿岛的KASHIMA和KASHIM34两个VLBI站间每年1-2mm的相应结果也可以得到确认。然而,每年2—4mm的KASHIMA和KASHIM34站间的相对垂直形变率结果,在过去所有观测研究的结果中都被基本肯定,在VTRF2005中的结果中却几乎消失了,对其中可能的原因作了讨论。此外,对北美的FD-VL- BA和HRASO85两个VLBI站间的相对垂直形变率仍不能肯定,在不同的全球解中,FD-VLBA站的形变率解结果是基本稳定的,而HRASO85站在VTRF2005中的垂直形变率结果为(2．61±3．91) mm／a,与估计的结果符号相反,并且比在VTRF2003中的相应结果大了2．2mm／a,估计误差也大了近7倍。有关的结果还有待采用更新的资料进行讨论。