Phase center modeling for LEO GPS receiver antennas and its impact on precise orbit determination

Most satellites in a low-Earth orbit (LEO) with demanding requirements on precise orbit determination (POD) are equipped with on-board receivers to collect the observations from Global Navigation Satellite systems (GNSS), such as the Global Positioning System (GPS). Limiting factors for LEO POD are nowadays mainly encountered with the modeling of the carrier phase observations, where a precise knowledge of the phase center location of the GNSS antennas is a prerequisite for high-precision orbit analyses. Since 5 November 2006 (GPS week 1400), absolute instead of relative values for the phase center location of GNSS receiver and transmitter antennas are adopted in the processing standards of the International GNSS Service (IGS). The absolute phase center modeling is based on robot calibrations for a number of terrestrial receiver antennas, whereas compatible antenna models were subsequently derived for the remaining terrestrial receiver antennas by conversion (from relative corrections), and for the GNSS transmitter antennas by estimation. However, consistent receiver antenna models for space missions such as GRACE and TerraSAR-X, which are equipped with non-geodetic receiver antennas, are only available since a short time from robot calibrations. We use GPS data of the aforementioned LEOs of the year 2007 together with the absolute antenna modeling to assess the presently achieved accuracy from state-of-the-art reduced-dynamic LEO POD strategies for absolute and relative navigation. Near-field multipath and cross-talk with active GPS occultation antennas turn out to be important and significant sources for systematic carrier phase measurement errors that are encountered in the actual spacecraft environments. We assess different methodologies for the in-flight determination of empirical phase pattern corrections for LEO receiver antennas and discuss their impact on POD. By means of independent K-band measurements, we show that zero-difference GRACE orbits can be significantly improved from about 10 to 6 mm K-band standard deviation when taking empirical phase corrections into account, and assess the impact of the corrections on precise baseline estimates and further applications such as gravity field recovery from kinematic LEO positions.     

Preferential leaching and the age of radiation damage from alpha decay in minerals

Preferential release into solution of radionuclides that result from alpha decay is a contributor to natural isotopic disequilibrium. Such release is critical to geochemical understanding of alpha-decay products and would be an undesirable characteristic of solidified nuclear waste in deep geological formations. Spontaneous annealing of the radiation damage that is responsible for the preferential release is shown to diminish the effect in thorianite and uraninite which we have found to be 550 to 1000 M.y. old, respectively. Leaching experiments and measurements of the thorium and uranium isotopes show that there is strongly enhanced release of short-lived ²²⁸Th relative to ²³²Th, but only slight enhancement of long-lived ²³⁴U and ²³⁰Th relative to ²³⁸U and ²³²Th. These results are interpreted in terms of natural annealing of damage occurring on a time scale between the ~10 and 10⁵ years of the alpha-decay products. With a simple assumption actual times for the survival of the enhanced leaching in these minerals are ~ 15,000 years.     

Computer simulation of second order faults

SummaryComputer Simulation of Second Order Faults Faults of the second order can be simulated in the computer with an accuracy hitherto unknown, by using Malina's (1969, 1970) program version of the Finite Element Method. The computations show that stress rearrangements occur with shear movements along the principal fault and with propagation of the fault. These stress rearrangements contribute to the development of new secondary faults. The computed second order faults can be classified according to Chinnery (1966) as shear plane typesA, B, E, andF. Moreover, the computation shows two dominant shear planes which cannot be classified according to Chinnery.

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ZusammenfassungSimulation von Störungen zweiter Ordnung im Computer Störungen zweiter Ordnung lassen sich mit einer bisher noch nicht gekannten Genauigkeit mit Hilfe einer von Malina (1969, 1970) entwickelten Programmversion der Finite-Element-Methode im Computer simulieren. Die Rechnungen zeigen, daß mit einer Scherbewegung entlang der Hauptstörung und dem Weiterreißen der Störung Spannungsumlagerungen einhergehen, die mitbewirken, daß neue sekundäre Störungen entstehen. Die ermittelten Störungen zweiter Ordnung lassen sich nach der Klassifikation von Chinnery (1966) als die ScherflächentypenA, B, E undF einordnen. Darüberhinaus liefert die Rechnung zwei sehr häufig auftretende Scherflächen, die sich nach Chinnery nicht klassifizieren lassen.

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RésuméSimulation de failles de deuxième ordre par l'ordinateur Les failles de deuxième ordre peuvent être simulées avec une précision encore jamais atteinte grâce à l'utilisation d'une version d'une programme développé par Malina (1969, 1970) à partir de la méthode des éléments finis. Le calcul montre que, conjointement au cisaillement le long de la faille principale et à la propagation de cette faille, de nouvelles redistributions des contraintes apparaissent. Ces nouvelles redistributions contribuent essentiellement au développement de nouvelles surfaces de failles secondaires. Les failles de deuxième ordre peuvent être classées d'après Chinnery (1966) suivant les catégories de surfaces de cisaillementA, B, E, etF. De plus, le calcul indique fréquemment deux autres types de surfaces de cisaillement n'entrant pas dans la classification de Chinnery.

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With 11 Figures     

A Measurement of Omega from the North American Test Flight of Boomerang

We use the angular power spectrum of the cosmic microwave background, measured during the North American test flight of the Boomerang experiment, to constrain the geometry of the universe. Within the class of cold dark matter models, we find that the overall fractional energy density of the universe Omega is constrained to be 0.85相似文献   

The genesis of wadi Magrish migmatites (N-E Sinai)

The migmatite complex of the Magrish area is part of a large crystalline massif south of Elat. The mineralogical composition of the migmatites is very uniform. The components of the melanosome are biotite, quartz and plagioclase, with small amounts of garnet and very rarely sillimanite and those of the leucosome — quartz and plagioclase. On the basis of chemical composition of the migmatites and possible premigmatitic parent rocks, absence of orthoclase in the leucosome, similar composition of plagioclase in the leucosome and in neighbouring melanosome, and Qz:Plag values which do not plot around a cotectic line, it is concluded that migmatisation occurred in a nearly closed system, without the presence of a melt phase. Thus, injection of granitic material, metasomatism or partial anatexis as possible main formation mechanisms are rejected and metamorphic differentiation is favoured.