Subscribe to the gold package and get unlimited access to Shamra Academy
Register a new userEnhancing the precision limits of interferometric satellite geodesy missions
299
0
0.0
(
0
)
Ask ChatGPT about the research
No Arabic abstract
Satellite geodesy uses the measurement of the motion of one or more satellites to infer precise information about the Earths gravitational field. In this work, we consider the achievable precision limits on such measurements by examining the three main noise sources in the measurement process of the current Gravitational Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) Follow-On mission: laser phase noise, accelerometer noise and quantum noise. We show that, through time-delay interferometry, it is possible to remove the laser phase noise from the measurement, allowing for up to three orders of magnitude improvement in the signal-to-noise ratio. Several differential mass satellite formations are presented which can further enhance the signal-to-noise ratio through the removal of accelerometer noise. Finally, techniques from quantum optics have been studied, and found to have great promise for reducing quantum noise in other alternative mission configurations. We model the spectral noise performance using an intuitive 1D model and verify that our proposals have the potential to greatly enhance the performance of near-future satellite geodesy missions.
rate research
Read More
We investigated the suitability of the astronomical 15 GHz VLBA observing program MOJAVE-5 for estimation of geodetic parameters, such as station coordinates and Earth orientation parameters. We processed contemporary geodetic dual-band RV and CN experiments observed at 2.3 GHz and 8.6 GHz starting on September 2016 through July 2020 as reference dataset. We showed that the baseline length repeatability from MOJAVE-5 experiments is only a factor of 1.5 greater than from the dedicated geodetic dataset and still below 1~ppb. The wrms of the difference of estimated EOP with respect to the reference IERS C04 time series are a factor of 1.3 to 1.8 worse. We isolated three major differences between the datasets in terms their possible impact on the geodetic results, i.e. the scheduling approach, treatment of the ionospheric delay, and selection of target radio sources. We showed that the major factor causing discrepancies in the estimated geodetic parameters is the different scheduling approach of the datasets. We conclude that systematic errors in MOJAVE-5 dataset are low enough for these data to be used as an excellent testbed for further investigations on the radio source structure effects in geodesy and astrometry.
The Allan variance (AVAR) was introduced 50 years ago as a statistical tool for assessing of the frequency standards deviations. For the past decades, AVAR has increasingly being used in geodesy and astrometry to assess the noise characteristics in geodetic and astrometric time series. A specific feature of astrometric and geodetic measurements, as compared with the clock measurements, is that they are generally associated with uncertainties; thus, an appropriate weighting should be applied during data analysis. Besides, some physically connected scalar time series naturally form series of multi-dimensional vectors. For example, three station coordinates time series $X$, $Y$, and $Z$ can be combined to analyze 3D station position variations. The classical AVAR is not intended for processing unevenly weighted and/or multi-dimensional data. Therefore, AVAR modifications, namely weighted AVAR (WAVAR), multi-dimensional AVAR (MAVAR), and weighted multi-dimensional AVAR (WMAVAR), were introduced to overcome these deficiencies. In this paper, a brief review is given of the experience of using AVAR and its modifications in processing astro-geodetic time series.
We report on a calibration procedure that enhances the precision of an interferometer based frequency stabilization by several orders of magnitude. For this purpose the frequency deviations of the stabilization are measured precisely by means of a frequency comb. This allows to implement several calibration steps that compensate different systematic errors. The resulting frequency deviation is shown to be less than $5.7 $MHz (rms $1.6 $MHz) in the whole wavelength interval $750 - 795 $nm. Wide tuning of a stabilized laser at this exceptional precision is demonstrated.
Interferometric scattering microscopy has been a very promising technology for highly sensitive label-free imaging of a broad spectrum of biological nanoparticles from proteins to viruses in a high-throughput manner. Although it can reveal the specimens size and shape information, the chemical composition is inaccessible in interferometric measurements. Infrared spectroscopic imaging provides chemical specificity based on inherent chemical bond vibrations of specimens but lacks the ability to image and resolve individual nanoparticles due to long infrared wavelengths. Here, we describe a bond-selective interferometric scattering microscope where the mid-infrared induced photothermal signal is detected by a visible beam in a wide-field common-path interferometry configuration. A thin film layered substrate is utilized to reduce the reflected light and provide a reference field for the interferometric detection of the weakly scattered field. A pulsed mid-IR laser is employed to modulate the interferometric signal. Subsequent demodulation via a virtual lock-in camera offers simultaneous chemical information about tens of micro- or nano-particles. The chemical contrast arises from a minute change in the particles scattered field in consequence of the vibrational absorption at the target molecule. We characterize the system with sub-wavelength polymer beads and highlight biological applications by chemically imaging several microorganisms including Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, and Candida albicans. A theoretical framework is established to extend bond-selective interferometric scattering microscopy to a broad range of biological micro- and nano-particles.
The Earth-Moon system is unusual in several respects. The Moon is roughly 1/4 the radius of the Earth - a larger satellite-to-planet size ratio than all known satellites other than Plutos Charon. The Moon has a tiny core, perhaps with only ~1% of its mass, in contrast to Earth whose core contains nearly 30% of its mass. The Earth-Moon system has a high total angular momentum, implying a rapidly spinning Earth when the Moon formed. In addition, the early Moon was hot and at least partially molten with a deep magma ocean. Identification of a model for lunar origin that can satisfactorily explain all of these features has been the focus of decades of research.
Log in to be able to interact and post comments
comments
Fetching comments
Sign in to be able to follow your search criteria
