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.

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 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.