Correcting the superrefraction effect in the GPS/LEO occultation technique

The Abel integral transformation in GPS/LEO occultation technique requires the atmospheric index of refraction n to be a single-valued function of the refractional radius a. This condition is broken when the vertical refractivity gradient is less than a critical value dN/dr∼-0.16 N-units m⁻¹, and it is called superrefraction. The Abel integral transformation is no longer valid under this condition, and, if the classical Abel transformation is still formally applied, then a negative refractivity bias occurs in results. The physical characteristics and mathematical expression of the superrefraction phenomenon in the lower troposphere are described. In the frame of a general Abel integral transformation, the inversion algorithm of the atmospheric profiles in and below the superrefraction layer is discussed. Under a simple assumption of the constant vertical gradient of refractivity in the sampling interval, the simulation calculation is carried out on UK High Resolution Radiosonde Data. The computational results have verified the relationship between the negative refractivity bias and the superrefraction phenomenon, as well as the validity of the general Abel transformation proposed.     

On the singular points of the Abelian integral transformation in the GPS/LEO occultation technique

In the inversion terrestrial atmosphere technique the inversion of theAbelian integral is one of the most often used methods for deriving the refractive index profile of the terrestrial atmosphere from GPS/LLEO radio occultation data. There exists the problem of singular point in the Abelian integral. Different methods for solving this problem are discussed and a method of finding an analytic solution of the Abelian integral after a variable transformation is proposed. The accuracies of the various methods are compared by means of simulation calculations.     

GPS/LEO掩星观测的变分同化技术

在简单介绍GPS/LEO掩星探测大气的发展历史和科学意义之后,详细阐述了反演的基本原理;分析了标准反演中存在的问题,并说明一维变分同化(1DVAR)在反演方法中的重要性;给出了一维变分同化中价值函数的求解,以及各种同化因子;简单介绍了对当前气象学中普遍使用的四维变分同化(4DVAR);重点讨论了各种同化方法,以及使用各种同化因子的优缺点。最后,通过CHAMP卫星的观测实例分析,验证了GPS数据在数值天气预报(NWP)中的作用,以及相对于标准反演法一维变分对气象要素的改进。     

The Effect of GPS Ephemeris on the Accuracy of Precise Orbit Determination of LEO Satellite-borne GPS

The satellite-borne GPS receivers dedicated to precise orbit determination are now being carried by more and more low earth orbit (LEO) satellites and the satellite-borne GPS has become one of the main means for the precise orbit determination of low earth orbit satellites. The accuracy of satellite-borne GPS precise orbit determination depends on the accuracies of the GPS ephemeris and the clock error. Based on the orbit determination function of SHORDEIII zero-difference dynamics and using the observational data obtained by the GRACE satellites for the week from 2005 August 1 to 7 as an example, three versions of GPS ephemerides (igs, igr and igu) are used to carry out orbit determination under the same conditions and to estimate the effect of the GPS ephemeris accuracy on the accuracy of orbit determination of low earth orbit satellites. Our calculated results show that the two ephemerides, igs and igr, are equivalent to each other in orbit determination accuracy (about 9.5 cm), while igu is slightly less accurate, at about 10.5 cm. The effect produced by the data of the high frequency GPS satellite clock error on the accuracy of orbit determination is 1–6 cm.     

GPS星历对LEO星载GPS精密定轨精度的影响

目前,越来越多的低轨卫星上都搭载了用于精密定轨的星载GPs接收机,星载GPS已成为低轨卫星精密定轨的主要手段之一.星载GPS精密定轨精度依赖于GPS星历及钟差精度.基于SHORDE-Ⅲ非差动力学定轨功能,以2005年8月1日至8月7日一周的GRACE卫星实测数据为例,采用事后精密轨道(igs)、快速轨道(igr)和超快速轨道(igu)三种GPS星历在同等条件下定轨,估计GPS星历精度对低轨卫星定轨精度的影响,实际计算结果表明igs和igr两类GPS星历定轨精度相当,约为9.5 cm,igu星历定轨精度略低于igs和igr星历,约为10.5cm:高频GPS卫星钟差数据对定轨精度会产生1-6cm影响.     

The influence of ionospheric thin shell height on TEC retrieval from GPS observation

We investigate the influence of assumed height for the thin shell ionosphere model on the Total Electron Content(TEC) derived from a small scale Global Positioning System(GPS) network. TEC and instrumental bias are determined by applying a grid-based algorithm to the data on several geomagnetically quiet days covering a 10 month period in 2006. Comparisons of TEC and instrumental bias are made among assumed heights from 250 km to 700 km with an interval of 10 km. While the TEC variations with time follow the same trend, TEC tends to increase with the height of the thin shell. The difference in TEC between heights 250 km and 700 km can be as large as～8 TECU in both daytime and nighttime. The times at which the TEC reaches its peak or valley do not vary much with the assumed heights. The instrumental biases, especially bias from the satellite, can vary irregularly with assumed height. Several satellites show a large deviation of～3 ns for heights larger than 550 km. The goodness of fit for different assumed heights is also examined. The data can be generally well-fitted for heights from 350 km to 700 km. A large deviation happens at heights lower than 350 km. Using the grid-based algorithm, there is no consensus on assumed height as related to data fitting. A thin shell height in the range 350-500 km can be a reasonable compromise between data fitting and peak height of the ionosphere.     

GPS/LEO掩星技术中Abel积分变换的奇点问题

在GPS／LEO无线电掩星反演地球大气技术中，Abel积分是反演地球大气折射指数的最常用的方法，Abel积分存在积分奇点的问题，根据这一问题讨论了解决奇异积分的几种不同的积分方法，并提出了一种直接求Abel积分变换的解析解．通过数值积分模拟计算，对比了各种不同积分方法引入了的计算误差。     

GIM在LEO卫星单频GPS定轨中的应用

电离层延迟误差是单频GPS(Global Positioning System)数据最主要的误差源,为提高基于单频GPS数据的LEO(Low Earth Orbiting)卫星定轨精度,必须消除/减弱GPS观测数据中电离层延迟影响.研究了全球电离层模型GIM(Global IonosphericMaps)在基于单频GPS伪距数据的低轨卫星运动学和动力学定轨中的应用,并通过估算电离层尺度因子的方法消除C/A码伪距观测量中电离层延迟影响.由于LEO卫星星载GPS信号受电离层延迟影响与卫星轨道高度相关,选取了轨道高度在300～800 km的CHAMP(CHAllenging Mini-satellite Payload)、GRACE(Gravity Recovery AndClimate Experiment)、TerraSAR-X及SAC-C等LEO卫星C/A码伪距观测量作为试算数据.CHAMP等卫星实测数据计算结果表明:以JPL(Jet Propulsion Laboratory)发布的GIM模型作为背景模型,通过电离层比例因子法能很好地消除C/A码伪距观测量中电离层延迟影响,提高LEO卫星运动学和动力学定轨精度,其中,CHAMP卫星轨道最低,受电离层延迟影响最严重,定轨精度提高最显著,分别为55.6%和47.6%;SAC-C卫星轨道高度最高,受电离层延迟影响最小,相应的定轨精度提高幅度也最低,分别为47.8%和38.2%.     

Comparison of GPS TEC with modelled values from IRI 2016 and IRI-PLAS over Istanbul,Turkey

The Total Electron Content (TEC) prediction performances of the empirical IRI model and IRI-PLAS model were investigated by comparing the GPS-based TEC values provided by the IONOLAB group. TEC values were obtained on equinox (March 21 and September 23) and solstice (June 21, and December 21) days in low (2009), medium (2012) and high (2015) solar activity periods at Istanbul, Turkey. The prediction performances of the models were statistically analyzed based on the differences between the GPS-TEC and the empirical models, considering the maximum and minimum deviations, the correlation analysis and the root mean square error (RMSE). As a result of the investigation, it is seen that the empirical models have similar predictive performances when the plasmaspheric effects are neglected, and the IRI-PLAS estimations are generally a little closer to the observed GPS-TEC values than all options of IRI-2016 model. Also, it can be said that “IRI2001”, one of the IRI-2016’s “topside” options, can make better predictions than other options and “IG” solar proxy option of IRI-PLAS model is a more appropriate option than the others in TEC calculations over Istanbul, Turkey.     

GPS/LEO掩星方法中的电离层延迟量对太阳射电辐射流量的响应

对无线电信号在电离层中的传播路径进行了数值模拟;针对掩星观测中的五组实际卫星轨道数据(包括GPS和LEO卫星),给出了在太阳射电辐射流量(FLUX)分别为0,70,160和240等几种情况下的电离层延迟量对10.7cm波长的太阳辐射流量的响应结果;这分别对应着无太阳辐射、太阳射电辐射处于活动低谷、平静期和高峰期等几种情形。从中可以发现,掩星观测中电离层延迟量对10.7cm波长的太阳射电辐射流量的响应表现为如下特性:电离层延迟同参数FLUX的大小有明显的对应关系,即FLUX越大,则掩星观测中的电离层延迟越大;对于上升掩星情况而言,掩星观测中电离层延迟量起先逐渐增加,然后达到某一峰值,其后逐渐下降;在掩星观测的初期和中期,太阳射电辐射处于活动低谷、平静期和高峰期等几种情形之间的电离层延迟量差异都较为显著,而在掩星观测的后期,几种情形相互间电离层延迟量的差异都比较小。     

The Application of GIM in Precise Orbit Determination for LEO Satellites with Single-Frequency GPS Measurements

With the precise GPS ephemeris and clock error available, the iono- spheric delay is left as the dominant error source in the single-frequency GPS data. Thus, the removal of ionospheric effects is a ma jor prerequisite for an improved orbit reconstruction of LEO satellites based on the single-frequency GPS data. In this paper, the use of Global Ionospheric Maps (GIM) in kine- matic and dynamic orbit determinations for LEO satellites with single-frequency GPS pseudorange measurements is discussed first, and then, estimating the iono- spheric scale factor to remove the ionospheric effects from the C/A-code pseu- dorange measurements for both kinematic and dynamic orbit determinations is addressed. As it is known that the ionospheric delay of space-borne GPS sig- nals is strongly dependent on the orbit altitudes of LEO satellites, we select the real C/A-code pseudorange measurement data of the CHAMP, GRACE, TerraSAR-X and SAC-C satellites with altitudes between 300 km and 800 km as sample data in this paper. It is demonstrated that the approach to eliminating ionospheric effects in C/A-code pseudorange measurements by estimating the ionospheric scale factor is highly effective. Employing this approach, the accu- racy of both kinematic and dynamic orbits can be improved notably. Among those five LEO satellites, CHAMP with the lowest orbit altitude has the most remarkable improvements in orbit accuracy, which are 55.6% and 47.6% for kine- matic and dynamic orbits, respectively. SAC-C with the highest orbit altitude has the least improvements in orbit accuracy accordingly, which are 47.8% and 38.2%, respectively.     

GPS星载原子钟性能评估

介绍了星载原子钟性能评估指标——频率准确度、稳定度、漂移率的定义及计算方法,基于IGS(international GNSS service)卫星钟差数据,对GPS星载原子钟的性能指标进行了分析。其中,基于Hadamard方差方法的稳定度分析结果表明,GPS Block IIR星载铷原子钟天稳已经处于1～3×10-14的水平。     

非圆轨道GPS/LEO掩星反演地球大气参数的算法及讨论

在非圆轨道GPS和LEO卫星条件下，给出一种较为直接的GPS／LEO掩星反演地球大气参数技术中弯曲角序列的迭代算法，并在理论上对该迭代法的收敛性进行了严格的数学证明．利用GPS掩星反演模拟程序，定量估算了卫星圆轨道假设对GPS／LEO掩星反演地球大气参数的影响，并验证了在非圆轨道条件下各种迭代法的一致性．指出了文献中给出的级数展开迭代算法的不足之处．     

LEO卫星轨道设计中的主要摄动源影响评估

对地球低轨道卫星 (LEO)轨道设计中的摄动力模型进行了分析 ,并估计了其量级。然后针对用于GPS无线电掩星的LEO卫星轨道设计对掩星地面测点稳定性的要求 ,对力学模型进行了取舍 ,同时估计了各摄动力模型对轨道设计目标的影响     

Automated lfare forecasting using a statistical learning technique

We present a new method for automatically forecasting the occurrence of solar lfares based on photospheric magnetic measurements.The method is a cascading combination of an ordinal logistic regression model and a support vector machine classifier.The predictive variables are three photospheric magnetic parameters,i.e., the total unsigned magnetic lfux,length of the strong-gradient magnetic polarity inversion line,and total magnetic energy dissipation.The output is true or false for the occurrence of a certain level of lfares within 24 hours.Experimental results,from a sample of 230 active regions between 1 996 and 2005,show the accuracies of a 24-hour flare forecast to be 0.8 6,0.72,0.65 and 0.8 4 respectively for the four different levels.Comparison shows an improvement in the accuracy ofX-class lfare forecasting.     

Modulation imaging based on a direct deconvolution technique

Image restoration from modulated intensities can be performed by directly solving the intensity modulation equation. This method of producing images does not rely on position sensitive detector. Computer simulation results for space low-energy-ray imaging show that images with fine angular resolution within a wide field of view can be obtained by simple collimated devices.     

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.     

Investigation of local time dependence of Mercury's sodium exosphere based on a numerical simulation

Mercury has a surface-bounded exosphere (SBE) similar to that of the Moon. One of the atmospheric species, sodium, was found by ground-based observations to be the most prominent component. Mercury's sodium SBE is known to be non-uniform with respect to local time (LT) in low-latitude regions: the sodium column density in the dawn-side region is larger than that in the dusk-side region, and the sodium abundance is the largest in the morning-noon region. To reveal the production processes for the exosphere near Mercury's surface, the LT dependence of the exosphere was investigated through a numerical simulation. Three data sets of sodium column densities observed for the dawn-side hemisphere, observed by Sprague et al. [1997. Distribution and abundance of sodium in Mercury's atmosphere, 1985-1988. Icarus 12, 506-527], were compared with results simulated by a 3D Monte Carlo method, and the source rates and density of sodium of the planetary surface were estimated. In the simulation, the photon-stimulated desorption (PSD) and thermal desorption (TD) processes were assumed as the release mechanisms. The sodium source rates for the three data sets, at respective heliocentric distances of about 0.33, 0.42, and 0.44 AU, were estimated as 1-4×10⁸ Na/cm²/s with weak LT dependence. In contrast, the expected sodium surface density showed clear dependence on LT and the heliocentric distance. The sodium surface density decreases from early morning to noon by a few orders, and, particularly for large heliocentric distances, the surface is in a condition of sodium excess and depletion with respect to the surface sodium density assumed by Killen et al. [2004. Source rates and ion recycling rates for Na and K in Mercury's atmosphere. Icarus 171, 1-19] in the early morning and morning-noon regions, respectively. This study implies that the decrease in sodium surface density from the early morning to noon regions might produce the characteristic LT dependence in the low-latitude dawn-side region.