差分VLBI测量的一种实现方案

差分VLBI通过交替观测目标天体和参考天体,将共同的误差因素从观测量中扣除,能够实现高精度的相对定位,因而在深空探测中有重要作用。然而,差分VLBI高精度的实现要求目标天体和参考天体的角距很近,这大大限制了其应用。讨论设计了差分VLBI测量的一种实现方案,利用多颗参考源的观测内插出目标源的非几何时延修正,放宽了对目标源和参考源的角距限制。该方案在S波段对目标源非几何时延的修正精度可以达到1 ns水平。     

VLBI观测双线极化条纹拟合方法

提出了一种可用于下一代VLBI观测系统(VGOS)的双线极化条纹拟合方法。现有的VLBI观测模式采用的是右圆极化(RCP),而VGOS系统采用的是双线极化。本文方法包括校正和组合条纹拟合两部分。校正部分选择一颗强源作为参考源,分别得到不同极化方式下的通道时延及相位校正数据,用于目标源的校正。组合条纹拟合部分将4种极化分量的可见度数据组合成伪Stokes分量,通过搜索差分星位角使伪Stokes分量的幅值达到最大,从而获得最终的时延观测量。与单极化条纹拟合相比,组合极化获得的条纹具有更高的信噪比(SNR)及更小的条纹相位弥散度。     

基于VLBI观测的基线改正方法

针对甚长基线干涉测量(VLBI)技术中,测站坐标精度与高精度的VLBI宽带观测不相匹配的问题,该文提出一种利用VLBI本身观测结果分析测站坐标改正量的方法。利用观测得到的时延值扣除几何时延及各种已知误差项后,残余部分还存在由基线矢量误差引起的时延、两地原子钟同步误差和系统误差引起的时延,给出残余时延与基线矢量误差等的计算模型。采用国家授时中心VLBI2010系统观测数据,计算结果表明,吉林-喀什基线的基线长度改正量约为11.467 7cm,观测值与拟合值的对比表明这种方法的可行性。     

月球探测器差分VLBI测量的模型及可估计参数研究

基于月球探测器离地而较近的特点和差分VLBI技术可以消除部分非几何延迟的优势,采用差分VLBI技术对月球探测器进行观测,推导具体町行的定位模型,并分析模型中可估计的地月大地测量参数序列.     

ΔVLBI用于“嫦娥一号”地月转移轨道段定轨及EOP解算

推导了基于相对论时空理论的"嫦娥一号"地月转移轨道段差分VLBI(ΔVLBI)的数学模型,在此基础上利用"嫦娥一号"实测的VLBI时延观测量和模拟的河外射电源时延观测量组成了ΔVLBI时延观测量,在参数最优先验精度下解算了不同弧段长度的"嫦娥一号"轨道及地球定向参数(EOP)等未知参数,并根据各参数的解算精度及外符合程度确定了最优观测弧段长度,并分析了该条件下的参数解算精度。     

同波束干涉测量差分相位计算与DOR时延精度验证

同波束干涉测量可以获取多航天器间高精度相对角位置信息。但对于两航天器间匹配频点少、频点间频差大、观测非连续条件下如何获取高精度的相对角位置观测量仍然是一个尚待解决的问题。我国在嫦娥二号(CE-2)卫星上首次搭载了差分单程测距(DOR)信标,用于测量技术测试验证,如何对DOR信号带宽综合时延进行精度验证也是本文关心的问题。文中提出基于相位补偿的差分相位解算方法,并基于DOR多频点信号测量数据进行了方法验证。给出DOR带宽综合解算方法,分析DOR无模糊解算条件;通过合理设置采样通道,实现了由单通道群时延验证DOR带宽综合时延。嫦娥二号卫星实测数据分析表明,相位补偿法可以得到反映航天器间相对角位置的差分相位观测量;DOR带宽综合时延与单通道时延解算结果一致,且时延解算精度有显著提高。     

Ka波段天测与测地VLBI观测的利弊分析

分析了天测与测地甚长基线干涉测量（very long baseline interferometry,VLBI）观测频率设置的必要性,重点分析了Ka波段观测的利弊。相比于X波段,Ka波段观测的优点包括河外源更致密、核移效应更小,更有利于提高射电天球参考架的实现精度以及与天体物理学全球天体测量干涉仪（global astrometric interferometer for astrophysics,Gaia）计划准惯性光学参考架的连接精度。在深空探测方面的优点表现为遥测数据率高,VLBI跟踪测量精度高,更有利于减小大气电离层和太阳等离子体对测量时延的不利影响。缺点包括河外源相对较弱,天线反射面精度和指向精度要求较高,大气吸收和辐射效应的影响更大等,但是这些因素所造成的系统灵敏度的降低有望通过高数据率采样而得到补偿。结合我国VLBI技术现状提出了发展建议。     

天球参考架的稳定源选取及其最新实现

天球参考架是对理想的天球参考系的实现,其稳定性直接决定了所描述天体运动规律及某些地球物理现象的精度。基于1979-2007年期间全球IVS(international VLBI service)网近30年的观测资料,利用上海天文台的Calc_Solve系统对天测与测地VLBI资料进行解算和分析,得到一系列由射电源坐标(赤经和赤纬)构成的时间序列。通过对该时间序列的稳定性的检验和分析,制定选择稳定源的标准,得到一套稳定的河外射电源表列,最终实现由173颗稳定的定义源与135颗补充源构建的稳定天球参考架。     

星地双向伪距模型仿真比较

给出了里地双向测距中,上下行伪距观测值的数学模型.研究了几何距离项、里地钟差影响、地球自转及各项误差修正量在上下行伪距中的差异,并对其进行了量级分析.通过计算得出由于传播时延的影响上下行几何距离项相差较大,在上下行组差时应予考虑.其他各项修正量上下行互差较小,在组差计算时可不予考虑.最后针对GPS 04里仿真计算了上下行伪距值,由此得出由于里地钟差的影响,其互差可达约10 km.     

甚长基线干涉测量天线参考点和轴线偏差监测方法探讨

高精度监测VLBI天线参考点和轴线偏差等参数,对提高VLBI台站坐标测定精度及天测、测地VLBI资料解析精度等具有重要意义.常规监测方式占用望远镜工作时间,监测效率低,所得参数精度较差.文章提出通过参数化VLBI天线的旋转运动建立天线固连合作目标在局域网中坐标数学模型的方法,有望实现全天候、全自动监测;考察了代表性数学模型,在观测方程构建、解算参数设置和约束条件选取等方面提出了新的见解.最后通过仿真分析,验证了对方程与参数所做调整的有效性,初步结论可供参考.     

A VLBI Delay Model for Radio Sources at a Finite Distance

A relativistic delay model for Earth-based very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) observation of sources at finite distances is derived. The model directly provides the VLBI delay in the scale of terrestrial time. The effect of the curved wave front is represented by using a pseudo source vector K = (R ₁ + R ₂)/(R ₁ + R ₂), and the variation of the baseline vector due to the difference of arrival time is taken into account up to the second-order by using Halley’s method. The precision of the new VLBI delay model is 1 ps for all radio sources above 100 km altitude from the Earth’s surface in Earth-based VLBI observation. Simple correction terms (parallax effect) are obtained, which can also adopt the consensus model (e.g. International Earth Rotation and Reference Frames Service conventions) to finite-distance radio source at R > 10 pc with the same precision. The new model may enable estimation of distance to the radio source directly with VLBI delay data.     

The impact of radio source structure on European geodetic VLBI measurements

European geodetic very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) sessions (also known as EUROPE sessions) have been carried out on a regular basis for the past 15 years to study relative crustal motions within Europe. These sessions are based on observations of extragalactic radio sources, which serve as distant fiducial marks to establish an accurate and stable celestial reference frame for long-term geodetic measurements. The radio sources, however, are not always point-like on milliarcsecond scales, as VLBI imaging has revealed. In this work, we quantify the magnitude of the expected effect of intrinsic source structure on geodetic bandwidth synthesis delay VLBI measurements for a subset of 14 sources regularly observed during the EUROPE sessions. These sources have been imaged at both X-band (8.4 GHz) and S-band (2.3 GHz) based on dedicated observations acquired with the European VLBI Network (EVN) in November 1996. The results of this calculation indicate that the reference source 0457+024 causes significant structural effects in measurements obtained on European VLBI baselines (about 10 picoseconds on average), whereas most of the other sources produce effects that are only occasionally larger than a few picoseconds. Applying the derived source structure models to the data of the EUROPE5-96 session carried out at the same epoch as the EVN experiment shows no noticeable changes in the estimated VLBI station locations.     

Effect of the selection of reference radio sources on geodetic estimates from VLBI observations

This paper evaluates the effect of the accuracy of reference radio sources on the daily estimates of station positions, nutation angle offsets, and the estimated site coordinates determined by very long baseline interferometry (VLBI), which are used for the realization of the international terrestrial reference frame (ITRF). Five global VLBI solutions, based on VLBI data collected between 1979 and 2006, are compared. The reference solution comprises all observed radio sources, which are treated as global parameters. Four other solutions, comprising different sub-sets of radio sources, were computed. The daily station positions for all VLBI sites and the corrections to the nutation offset angles were estimated for these five solutions. The solution statistics are mainly affected by the positional instabilities of reference radio sources, whereas the instabilities of geodetic and astrometric time-series are caused by an insufficient number of observed reference radio sources. A mean offset of the three positional components (Up, North, East) between any two solutions was calculated for each VLBI site. From a comparison of the geodetic results, no significant discrepancies between the respective geodetic solutions for all VLBI sites in the Northern Hemisphere were found. In contrast, the Southern Hemisphere sites were more sensitive to the selected set of reference radio sources. The largest estimated mean offset of the vertical component between two solutions for the Australian VLBI site at Hobart was 4 mm. In the worst case (if a weak VLBI network observed a limited number of reference radio sources) the daily offsets of the estimated height component at Hobart exceeded 100 mm. The exclusion of the extended radio sources from the list of reference sources improved the solution statistics and made the geodetic and astrometric time-series more consistent. The problem with the large Hobart height component offset is magnified by a comparatively small number of observations due to the low slewing rate of the VLBI dish (1°/ s). Unless a minimum of 200 scans are performed per 24-h VLBI experiment, the daily vertical positions at Hobart do not achieve 10 mm accuracy. Improving the slew rate at Hobart and/or having an increased number of new sites in the Southern Hemisphere is essential for further improvement of geodetic VLBI results for Southern Hemisphere sites.     

Radio source instability in VLBI analysis

The source position time-series for many of the frequently observed radio sources in the NASA geodetic very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) program show systematic linear and non-linear variations of as much as 0.5 mas (milli-arc-seconds) to 1.0 mas, due mainly to source structure changes. In standard terrestrial reference frame (TRF) geodetic solutions, it is a common practice to only estimate a global source position for each source over the entire history of VLBI observing sessions. If apparent source position variations are not modeled, they produce corresponding systematic variations in estimated Earth orientation parameters (EOPs) at the level of 0.02–0.04 mas in nutation and 0.01–0.02 mas in polar motion. We examine the stability of position time-series of the 107 radio sources in the current NASA geodetic source catalog since these sources have relatively dense observing histories from which it is possible to detect systematic variations. We consider different strategies for handling source instabilities where we (1) estimate the positions of unstable sources for each session they are observed, or (2) estimate spline parameters or rate parameters for sources chosen to fit the specific variation seen in the position-time series. We found that some strategies improve VLBI EOP accuracy by reducing the biases and weighted root mean square differences between measurements from independent VLBI networks operating simultaneously. We discuss the problem of identifying frequently observed unstable sources and how to identify new sources to replace these unstable sources in the NASA VLBI geodetic source catalog.     

使用参照物的射电望远镜中心坐标测量方法

为满足新建射电望远镜在单站或多站联合进行的深空探测或射电天文观测对中心坐标精确测定的要求,提出一种利用已知精确中心坐标的望远镜作为参照物,测量地平式射电望远镜中心点坐标的方法和测量数据处理方法。这一方法对场地和设备的要求较低,能够得到毫米级或亚毫米级的位置精度。尤其适合对天线阵列的中心位置进行测量。对国家天文台密云观测站的40 m射电望远镜进行了中心坐标测量,位置均方根误差为2.312 mm,满足了后续的观测工作对其位置的需求。     

嫦娥二号卫星X波段测控体制试验定位分析

2010-10-03~2010-10-04,在嫦娥二号任务实时观测阶段进行了X波段测控体制试验。从定位归算角度对试验期间的S波段数传信号(S1频点)测量时延(S1时延)和X波段单程测距差分(DOR)信号测量时延(DOR时延)进行了比对分析。初步结果表明,DOR时延的实测资料精度与链路计算理论估值基本相符。而且由于信号的频带较宽,DOR时延弥散度和定位结果弥散度均优于S1,基线时延闭合差也小于S1。这表明此次试验观测是成功的,为后续探月任务储备了关键技术。     

静地卫星定轨的模糊度及基线选址

在短基线相位干涉法卫星定轨原理的基础上，分析了各主要误差源及其对相位模糊度计算的影响特性，指出目标卫星的初始轨道精度是影响模糊度解的主要因素；讨论了高稳定度的原子钟和共用本振方法以及近角距的较差观测对提高模糊度解的可靠性和精密定轨的积极作用。最后提出了综合有效率的概念，它可作为地面双基线布设及最优选址的参考依据。