No Arabic abstract
Geodetic Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) measures the group delay in the barycentric reference frame. As the Earth is orbiting around the Solar system barycentre with the velocity $V$ of 30 km/s, VLBI proves to be a handy tool to detect the subtle effects of the special and general relativity theory with a magnitude of $(V/textrm{c})^2$. The theoretical correction for the second order terms reaches up to 300~ps, and it is implemented in the geodetic VLBI group delay model. The total contribution of the second order terms splits into two effects - the variation of the Earth scale, and the deflection of the apparent position of the radio source. The Robertson-Mansouri-Sexl (RMS) generalization of the Lorenz transformation is used for many modern tests of the special relativity theory. We develop an alteration of the RMS formalism to probe the Lorenz invariance with the geodetic VLBI data. The kinematic approach implies three parameters (as a function of the moving reference frame velocity) and the standard Einstein synchronisation. A generalised relativistic model of geodetic VLBI data includes all three parameters that could be estimated. Though, since the modern laboratory Michelson-Morley and Kennedy-Thorndike experiments are more accurate than VLBI technique, the presented equations may be used to test the VLBI group delay model itself.
Context. We highlight the capabilities of the geodetic VLBI technique to test General relativity in the classical astrometric style, i.e., measuring the deflection of light in the vicinity of the Sun. Aims. In previous studies, the parameter was estimated by global analyses of thousands of geodetic VLBI sessions. Here we estimate from a single session where the Sun has approached two strong reference radio sources 0229+131 and 0235+164 at an elongation angle of 1-3 degrees. Methods. The AUA020 VLBI session of 1 May 2017 was designed to obtain more than 1000 group delays from the two radio sources. The Solar corona effect was effectively calibrated with the dual-frequency observations even at small elongation from the Sun. Results. We obtained with a precision better than what is obtained through global analyses of thousands of standard geodetic sessions over decades. Current results demonstrate that the modern VLBI technology is capable of establishing new limits on observational test of General Relativity.
An experiment aimed at testing special relativity via a comparison of the velocity of a non matter particle (annihilation photon) with the velocity of the matter particle (Compton electron) produced by the second annihilation photon from the decay Na-22(beta^+)Ne-22 is proposed.
We report the results of a successful 7 hour 1.4 GHz VLBI experiment using two new stations, ASKAP-29 located in Western Australia and WARK12M located on the North Island of New Zealand. This was the first geodetic VLBI observing session with the participation of these new stations. We have determined the positions of ASKAP-29 and WARK12M. Random errors on position estimates are 150-200 mm for the vertical component and 40-50 mm for the horizontal component. Systematic errors caused by the unmodeled ionosphere path delay may reach 1.3 m for the vertical component.
We report on an ongoing effort to image active galactic nuclei simultaneously observed at 2.3 and 8.6 GHz in the framework of a long-term VLBI project RDV (Research and Development - VLBA) started in 1994 aiming to observe compact extragalactic radio sources in the astrometric/geodetic mode. Observations of bright extragalactic sources are carried out bi-monthly making up to six sessions per year with participation of all ten VLBA antennas and up to nine additional (geodetic and EVN) radio telescopes. Analysis of single-epoch results for 370 quasars, BL Lacs and radio galaxies is presented. We discuss VLBI core properties (flux densities, sizes, brightness temperatures), spectral characteristics of the cores and jets, evolution of brightness temperatures in the jets.
The modern Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) relativistic delay model, as documented in the IERS Conventions refers to the time epoch when the signal passes one of two stations of an interferometer baseline (selected arbitrarily from the pair of stations and called the reference station, or station 1). This model consists of the previous correlation procedure used before the year 2002. However, since 2002 a new correlation procedure that produces the VLBI group delays referring to the time epoch of signal passage at the geocenter has been used. A corresponding correction to the conventional VLBI model delay has to be introduced. However, this correction has not been thoroughly presented in peer reviewed journals, and different approaches are used at the correlators to calculate the final group delays officially published in the IVS database. This may cause an inconsistency up to 6 ps for ground-based VLBI experiments between the group delay obtained by the correlator and the geometrical model delay from the IERS Conventions used in data analysis software. Moreover, a miscalculation of the signal arrival moment to the reference station could result a larger modelling error (up to 50 ps). The paper presents the justification of the correction due to transition between two epochs elaborated from the Lorentz transformation, and the approach to model the uncertainty of the calculation of the signal arrival moment. The both changes are particularly essential for upcoming broadband technology geodetic VLBI observations.