LAGEOS geodetic analysis-SL7.1

Laser ranging measurements to the LAGEOS satellite from 1976 through 1989 are related via geodetic and orbital theories to a variety of geodetic and geodynamic parameters. The SL7.1 analyses are explained of this data set including the estimation process for geodetic parameters such as Earth's gravitational constant (GM), those describing the Earth's elasticity properties (Love numbers), and the temporally varying geodetic parameters such as Earth's orientation (polar motion and Delta UT1) and tracking site horizontal tectonic motions. Descriptions of the reference systems, tectonic models, and adopted geodetic constants are provided; these are the framework within which the SL7.1 solution takes place. Estimates of temporal variations in non-conservative force parameters are included in these SL7.1 analyses as well as parameters describing the orbital states at monthly epochs. This information is useful in further refining models used to describe close-Earth satellite behavior. Estimates of intersite motions and individual tracking site motions computed through the network adjustment scheme are given. Tabulations of tracking site eccentricities, data summaries, estimated monthly orbital and force model parameters, polar motion, Earth rotation, and tracking station coordinate results are also provided

Error spectrum for the global M₂ ocean tide

The most accurate determinations of the global ocean tides are currently based on altimeter measurements made by the Topex/Poseidon satellite. The error spectrum corresponding to the M₂ tidal solution is here estimated, primarily by inverse methods and secondarily by simple differencing in flatter than tidal signal spectrum, and it exceeds 10% of the signal at spherical harmonic degree 15 and above. The tide error also exceed the anticipated sensitivity of the upcoming GRACE gravity mission for all degrees below 40, and possibly below 50.Copyrighted by American Geophysical Union

The Development of the Joint NASA GSFC and the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) Geopotential Model EGM96

The NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA), and The Ohio State University (OSU) have collaborated to develop an improved spherical harmonic model of the Earth's gravitational potential to degree 360. The new model, Earth Gravitational Model 1996 (EGM96), incorporates improved surface gravity data, altimeter-derived gravity anomalies from ERS-1 and from the GEOSAT Geodetic Mission (GM), extensive satellite tracking data-including new data from Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR), the Global Postioning System (GPS), NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System (TDRSS), the French DORIS system, and the US Navy TRANET Doppler tracking system-as well as direct altimeter ranges from TOPEX/POSEIDON (T/P), ERS-1, and GEOSAT. The final solution blends a low-degree combination model to degree 70, a block-diagonal solution from degree 71 to 359, and a quadrature solution at degree 360. The model was used to compute geoid undulations accurate to better than one meter (with the exception of areas void of dense and accurate surface gravity data) and realize WGS84 as a true three-dimensional reference system. Additional results from the EGM96 solution include models of the dynamic ocean topography to degree 20 from T/P and ERS-1 together, and GEOSAT separately, and improved orbit determination for Earth-orbiting satellites

On the possibility of measuring relativistic gravitational effects with a LAGEOS-LAGEOS II-OPTIS-mission

In this paper we wish to preliminary investigate if it would be possible to use the orbital data from the proposed OPTIS mission together with those from the existing geodetic passive SLR LAGEOS and LAGEOS II satellites in order to perform precise measurements of some general relativistic gravitoelectromagnetic effects, with particular emphasis on the Lense-Thirring effect.Comment: Abridged version. 16 pages, no figures, 1 table. First results from the GGM01C Earth gravity model. GRACE data include

Improving EGM2008 by GPS and leveling data at local scale

The development of the Earth Gravitational Model 2008 (EGM2008) model is a significant contribution for modeling the Earth's gravity and geoid. Recently, it can be confidently used versus geometric models following a simple refinement procedure. Several studies show that, EGM2008 can reach the accuracy of regional or local geoid models after modeling the differences between the GPS-leveling geoid heights and EGM2008 derived geoid heights at identified control points. The study focuses on a corrector surface fitting (CSF) approach based on radial basis functions (RBF) as improvement procedure for EGM2008. A detailed mathematical model and solution algorithm of the proposed model is given, and it has been applied in different test areas covering the city borders of Bursa, Konya, Denizli and Gaziantep in Turkey. Accuracy of the improved model was evaluated in scattered check points within test regions. The geoid heights of all check points obtained by GPS-leveling measurements were compared with the geoid heights obtained from improved model. The discrepancies between the calculated and measured geoid heights were analyzed and discussed

Linear Paul trap design for an optical clock with Coulomb crystals

We report on the design of a segmented linear Paul trap for optical clock applications using trapped ion Coulomb crystals. For an optical clock with an improved short-term stability and a fractional frequency uncertainty of 10^-18, we propose 115In+ ions sympathetically cooled by 172Yb+. We discuss the systematic frequency shifts of such a frequency standard. In particular, we elaborate on high precision calculations of the electric radiofrequency field of the ion trap using the finite element method. These calculations are used to find a scalable design with minimized excess micromotion of the ions at a level at which the corresponding second- order Doppler shift contributes less than 10^-18 to the relative uncertainty of the frequency standard

Development of a Synthetic Earth Gravity Model by 3D mass optimisation based on forward modelling

Several previous Synthetic Earth Gravity Model (SEGM) simulations are based on existing information about the Earth’s internal mass distribution. However, currently available information is insufficient to model the Earth’s anomalous gravity field on a global scale. The low-frequency information is missing when modelling only topography, bathymetry and crust (including the Mohorovičić discontinuity), but the inclusion of information on the mantle and core does not seem to significantly improve this situation. This paper presents a method to determine a more realistic SEGM by considering simulated 3D mass distributions within the upper mantle as a proxy for all unmodelled masses within the Earth.The aim is to improve an initial SEGM based on forward gravity modelling of the topography, bathymetry and crust such that the missing low-frequency information is now included. The simulated 3D mass distribution has been derived through an interactive and iterative mass model optimisation algorithm, which minimises geoid height differences with respect to a degree-360 spherical harmonic expansion of the EGM2008 global external gravity field model. We present the developed optimisation algorithm by applying it to the development of a global SEGM that gives a reasonably close fit to EGM2008, and certainly closer than a SEGM based only on the topography, bathymetry and crust

Phenomenology of the Lense-Thirring effect in the Solar System

Recent years have seen increasing efforts to directly measure some aspects of the general relativistic gravitomagnetic interaction in several astronomical scenarios in the solar system. After briefly overviewing the concept of gravitomagnetism from a theoretical point of view, we review the performed or proposed attempts to detect the Lense-Thirring effect affecting the orbital motions of natural and artificial bodies in the gravitational fields of the Sun, Earth, Mars and Jupiter. In particular, we will focus on the evaluation of the impact of several sources of systematic uncertainties of dynamical origin to realistically elucidate the present and future perspectives in directly measuring such an elusive relativistic effect.Comment: LaTex, 51 pages, 14 figures, 22 tables. Invited review, to appear in Astrophysics and Space Science (ApSS). Some uncited references in the text now correctly quoted. One reference added. A footnote adde

High-resolution regional gravity field recovery from Poisson wavelets using heterogeneous observational techniques

2016-2017 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journal201804_a bcmaVersion of RecordPublishe