Analytical versus semi-analytical determinations of the Oppolzer terms for a non-rigid Earth

Estimations of the Oppolzer terms for the angular momentum and rotation axes of a non-rigid Earth are obtained from two different approaches and compared. The first approach is an analytical method which relies on the solutions of the Liouville equations for a two-layer Earth model. The Oppolzer terms are evaluated from analytical expressions. The results are then compared to those calculated from Wahr's theory of nutation for a non-rigid Earth, which is the second approach used. Results are obtained for the main nutation frequencies and for the precession case. The differences between the two solutions are generally quite small (the relative error is most of the time under 8%) and are, for a large part, due to successive approximations and truncation effects during their determination. Departures of the results from the two methods are significantly larger for frequencies near the Free Core Nutation (FCN) resonance. This is particularly true for the Oppolzer terms of the angular momentum axis. The Earth model adopted is a little bit different in each case: for the Liouville system solution, we have limited the model to a homogeneous elastic mantle and a homogeneous liquid core. Another source of some of the small differences in the results is the presence of a solid inner core in Wahr's theory. We confirm through the analytical calculation the strong effect of the core on the Oppolzer terms of the angular momentum axis for a non-rigid Earth at the precession frequency. Finally, an application is given in the determination of the axes' position at J2000 for a non-rigid Earth. Received: 23 February 1998 /Accepted: 18 November 1998