scholarly journals Short-baseline interferometry local-tie experiments at the Onsala Space Observatory

2021 ◽  
Vol 95 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eskil Varenius ◽  
Rüdiger Haas ◽  
Tobias Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Very Long Baseline Interferometry ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Radio Telescopes ◽  
Space Observatory ◽  
Short Baseline ◽  
Long Baseline ◽  
Onsala Space Observatory ◽  
X Band ◽  
Group Delays ◽  
Local Tie

AbstractWe present results from observation, correlation and analysis of interferometric measurements between the three geodetic very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) stations at the Onsala Space Observatory. In total, 25 sessions were observed in 2019 and 2020, most of them 24 h long, all using X band only. These involved the legacy VLBI station ONSALA60 and the Onsala twin telescopes, ONSA13NE and ONSA13SW, two broadband stations for the next-generation geodetic VLBI global observing system (VGOS). We used two analysis packages: $$\nu $$ ν Solve to pre-process the data and solve ambiguities, and ASCOT to solve for station positions, including modelling gravitational deformation of the radio telescopes and other significant effects. We obtained weighted root mean square post-fit residuals for each session on the order of 10–15 ps using group-delays and 2–5 ps using phase-delays. The best performance was achieved on the (rather short) baseline between the VGOS stations. As the main result of this work, we determined the coordinates of the Onsala twin telescopes in VTRF2020b with sub-millimetre precision. This new set of coordinates should be used from now on for scheduling, correlation, as a priori for data analyses, and for comparison with classical local-tie techniques. Finally, we find that positions estimated from phase-delays are offset $$\sim +3$$ ∼ + 3  mm in the up-component with respect to group-delays. Additional modelling of (elevation dependent) effects may contribute to the future understanding of this offset.

Short-baseline interferometry at Onsala Space Observatory

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eskil Varenius ◽  
Rüdiger Haas ◽  
Periklis Diamantidis ◽  
Tobias Nilsson
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Mode ◽  
Reference Frames ◽  
Radio Telescopes ◽  
Space Observatory ◽  
Short Baseline ◽  
Geodetic Vlbi ◽  
Onsala Space Observatory ◽  
X Band ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Local Tie

<p>A growing number of geodetic VLBI stations participate in the VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS). Multiple sites operate both new VGOS telescopes and legacy S/X VLBI telescopes. At Onsala Space Observatory, Sweden, we operate two 13.2 m diameter VGOS radio telescopes, ONSA13NE (OE) and ONSA13SW (OW), as well as the 20~m legacy S/X telescope ONSALA60 (ON). Transitioning from the legacy system and providing continuity of the terrestrial and celestial reference frames necessitate establishing ties between S/X and VGOS telescopes. Since spring 2019, we have carried out more than 20 short-baseline (550 m) interferometric observations at X-band to establish local-tie vectors between ON, OE and OW. The obtained data were correlated at Onsala Space Observatory using DiFX, post-processed using HOPS and analysed with nuSolve and ASCOT. In this presentation we given an overview of the observations, analysis, and results of these local-tie experiments. We investigate the impact of modeling e.g. gravitational deformation, and the possibility of using phase-delays to improve the precision. Finally, we present a comparison with preliminary results from two other methods: global mixed-mode observations and classical local-tie measurements.</p>

scholarly journals Experience from geodetic very long baseline interferometry observations at Onsala using a digital backend

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kareinen ◽  
R. Haas
Keyword(s):  
Very Long Baseline Interferometry ◽  
Recording System ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Space Observatory ◽  
Geodetic Vlbi ◽  
Long Baseline ◽  
Vlbi Observations ◽  
Onsala Space Observatory ◽  
Base Band ◽  
Raw Observations

AbstractThe Onsala Space Observatory has installed a modern digital backend for geodetic and astronomical Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). This system consists of a Digital Base-Band Converter (DBBC) and a Mark 5B+ recorder. From 2011 until late 2014 this new system was run for geodetic VLBI observations in parallel with the old system consisting of a Mark 4 rack and Mark 5A recording system. Several of these observed sessions were correlated at the correlator in Bonn including both data sets. We present results from the analysis and comparison of these sessions. Both the original observed delays and corresponding geodetic parameters are compared. No significant differences are detected, for either the raw observations or for the geodetic parameters. This shows that the digital backend can be used operationally for geodetic VLBI observations.

scholarly journals Short Baseline Observations at Geodetic Observatory Wettzell

Data ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 64 ◽  
Author(s):  
Apurva Phogat ◽  
Gerhard Kronschnabl ◽  
Christian Plötz ◽  
Walter Schwarz ◽  
Torben Schüler
Keyword(s):  
Meteorological Parameters ◽  
Very Long Baseline Interferometry ◽  
Final Analysis ◽  
Barometric Pressure ◽  
Radio Telescopes ◽  
Short Baseline ◽  
Long Baseline ◽  
Log Files ◽  
University Of Munich ◽  
Clock Offset

The Geodetic Observatory Wettzell (GOW), jointly operated by the Federal Agency for Cartography and Geodesy (BKG), Germany and the Technical University of Munich, Germany is equipped with three radio telescopes for Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI). Correlation capability is primarily designed for relative positioning of the three Wettzell radio telescopes i.e., to derive the local ties between the three telescopes from VLBI raw data in addition to the conventional terrestrial surveys. A computing cluster forming the GO Wettzell Local Correlator (GOWL) was installed in 2017 as well as the Distributed FX (DiFX) software correlation package and the Haystack Observatory Postprocessing System (HOPS) for fringe fitting and postprocessing of the output. Data pre-processing includes ambiguity resolution (if necessary) as well as the generation of the geodetic database and NGS card files with υ Solve. The final analysis is either carried out with local processing software (LEVIKA short baseline analysis) or with the Vienna VLBI and Satellite (VieVS) software. We will present an overview of the scheduling, correlation and analysis capabilities at GOW and results obtained so. The dataset includes auxiliary files (schedule and log files) which contain information about the participating antenna, observed sources, clock offset between formatter and GPS time, cable delay, meteorological parameters (temperature, barometric pressure, and relative humidity) and ASCII files created after fringe fitting and final analysis. The published dataset can be used by the researchers and scientists to further explore short baseline interferometry.

scholarly journals The VSOP project: Space VLBI Imaging of AGN at 1.6 and 5 GHz

2001 ◽  
Vol 205 ◽  
pp. 118-121
Author(s):  
Y. Murata ◽  
H. Hirabayashi ◽  
P.G. Edwards
Keyword(s):  
Active Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Very Long Baseline Interferometry ◽  
Galactic Nuclei ◽  
Radio Telescopes ◽  
Space Observatory ◽  
Long Baseline ◽  
5 Ghz

The VLBI Space Observatory Programme (VSOP) combines an orbiting radiotelescope with arrays of ground radio telescopes to extend the Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technique to baselines up to almost three Earth diameters. In this paper, we present results from VSOP observations of active galactic nuclei (AGN) at 1.6 and 5 GHz from the first 3.5 years of the mission.

scholarly journals A Tri-band Low-noise Cryogenic Receiver for Geodetic VLBI Observations with VGOS Radio Telescopes

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
José A. López-Pérez ◽  
Félix Tercero-Martínez ◽  
José M. Serna-Puente ◽  
Beatriz Vaquero-Jiménez ◽  
María Patino-Esteban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radio Telescope ◽  
Very Long Baseline Interferometry ◽  
Low Noise ◽  
Radio Telescopes ◽  
Geospatial Information ◽  
Ka Band ◽  
Geodetic Vlbi ◽  
Long Baseline ◽  
Vlbi Observations ◽  
X Band

This paper shows the development of a simultaneous tri-band (S: 2.2 - 2.7 GHz, X: 7.5 - 9 GHz and Ka: 28 - 33 GHz) low-noise cryogenic receiver for geodetic Very Long Baseline Interferometry (geo-VLBI) which has been developed by the technical staff of Yebes Observatory (IGN) laboratories in Spain. The receiver was installed in the first radio telescope of the Red Atlántica de Estaciones Geodinámicas y Espaciales (RAEGE) project, which is located in Yebes Observatory, in the frame of the VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS). After this, the receiver was borrowed by the Norwegian Mapping Autorithy (NMA) for the commissioning of two VGOS radiotelescopes in Svalbard (Norway). A second identical receiver was built for the Ishioka VGOS station of the Geospatial Information Authority (GSI) of Japan, and a third one for the second RAEGE VGOS station, located in Santa María (Açores Archipelago, Portugal). The average receiver noise temperatures are 21, 23 and 25 Kelvin and the measured antenna efficiencies are 70%, 75% and 60% in S-band, X-band and Ka-band, respectively.

scholarly journals A Tri-Band Cooled Receiver for Geodetic VLBI

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (8) ◽  
pp. 2662
Author(s):  
José A. López-Pérez ◽  
Félix Tercero-Martínez ◽  
José M. Serna-Puente ◽  
Beatriz Vaquero-Jiménez ◽  
María Patino-Esteban ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Very Long Baseline Interferometry ◽  
Low Noise ◽  
Cryogenic Temperatures ◽  
Geospatial Information ◽  
Receiver Noise ◽  
Geodetic Vlbi ◽  
Long Baseline ◽  
Front End ◽  
X Band ◽  
Santa Maria

This paper shows a simultaneous tri-band (S: 2.2–2.7 GHz, X: 7.5–9 GHz and Ka: 28–33 GHz) low-noise cryogenic receiver for geodetic Very Long Baseline Interferometry (geo-VLBI) which has been developed at Yebes Observatory laboratories in Spain. A special feature is that the whole receiver front-end is fully coolable down to cryogenic temperatures to minimize receiver noise. It was installed in the first radio telescope of the Red Atlántica de Estaciones Geodinámicas y Espaciales (RAEGE) project, which is located in Yebes Observatory, in the frame of the VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS). After this, the receiver was borrowed by the Norwegian Mapping Autorithy (NMA) for the commissioning of two VGOS radiotelescopes in Svalbard (Norway). A second identical receiver was built for the Ishioka VGOS station of the Geospatial Information Authority (GSI) of Japan, and a third one for the second RAEGE VGOS station, located in Santa María (Açores Archipelago, Portugal). The average receiver noise temperatures are 21, 23, and 25 Kelvin and the measured antenna efficiencies are 70%, 75%, and 60% in S-band, X-band, and Ka-band, respectively.

scholarly journals Observing UT1-UTC with VGOS

2021 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rüdiger Haas ◽  
Eskil Varenius ◽  
Saho Matsumoto ◽  
Matthias Schartner
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Reference Frame ◽  
Earth Rotation ◽  
Space Observatory ◽  
International Earth Rotation ◽  
Onsala Space Observatory ◽  
X Band ◽  
First Results

AbstractWe present first results for the determination of UT1-UTC using the VLBI Global Observing System (VGOS). During December 2019 through February 2020, a series of 1 h long observing sessions were performed using the VGOS stations at Ishioka in Japan and the Onsala twin telescopes in Sweden. These VGOS-B sessions were observed simultaneously to standard legacy S/X-band Intensive sessions. The VGOS-B data were correlated, post-correlation processed, and analysed at the Onsala Space Observatory. The derived UT1-UTC results were compared to corresponding results from standard legacy S/X-band Intensive sessions (INT1/INT2), as well as to the final values of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Frame Service (IERS), provided in IERS Bulletin B. The VGOS-B series achieves 3–4 times lower formal uncertainties for the UT1-UTC results than standard legacy S/X-band INT series. The RMS agreement w.r.t. to IERS Bulletin B is slightly better for the VGOS-B results than for the simultaneously observed legacy S/X-band INT1 results, and the VGOS-B results have a small bias only with the smallest remaining standard deviation.

scholarly journals Station Infrastructure Developments of the IVS

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk Behrend ◽  
Axel Nothnagel ◽  
Johannes Böhm ◽  
Chet Ruszczyk ◽  
Pedro Elosegui
Keyword(s):  
Very Long Baseline Interferometry ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Radio Telescopes ◽  
Geodetic Vlbi ◽  
The Past ◽  
Long Baseline ◽  
Aging Infrastructure ◽  
Recent Developments ◽  
International Vlbi Service ◽  
Vlbi Data

<p>The International VLBI Service for Geodesy and Astrometry (IVS) is a globally operating service that coordinates and performs Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) activities through its constituent components. The VLBI activities are associated with the creation, provision, dissemination, and archiving of relevant VLBI data and products. The operational station network of the IVS currently consists of about 40 radio telescopes worldwide, subsets of which participate in regular 24-hour and 1-hour observing sessions. This legacy S/X observing network dates back in large part to the 1970s and 1980s. Because of highly demanding new scientific requirements such as sea-level change but also due to the aging infrastructure, the larger IVS community planned and started to implement a new VLBI system called VGOS (VLBI Global Observing System) at existing and new sites over the past several years. In 2020, a fledgling network of 8 VGOS stations started to observe in operational IVS sessions. We anticipate that the VGOS network will grow over the next couple of years to a global network of 25 stations and will eventually replace the legacy S/X system as the IVS production system. We will provide an overview of the recent developments and anticipated evolution of the geodetic VLBI station infrastructure.</p>

scholarly journals GNSS-based water vapor estimation and validation during the MOSAiC expedition

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Benjamin Männel ◽  
Florian Zus ◽  
Galina Dick ◽  
Susanne Glaser ◽  
Maximilian Semmling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Vapor ◽  
Very Long Baseline Interferometry ◽  
Precise Point Positioning ◽  
Radiosonde Data ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Radio Telescopes ◽  
Long Baseline ◽  
Gnss Data ◽  
Level Of Agreement ◽  
Good Agreement

Abstract. Within the transpolar drifting expedition MOSAiC (Multidisciplinary drifting Observatory for the Study of Arctic Climate), GNSS was used among other techniques to monitor variations in atmospheric water vapor. Based on 15 months of continuously tracked GNSS data including GPS, GLONASS, and Galileo, epoch-wise coordinates and hourly zenith total delays (ZTD) were determined using a kinematic precise point positioning (PPP) approach. The derived ZTD values agree to 1.1 ± 0.2 mm (RMS of the differences 10.2 mm) with the numerical weather data of ECMWF’s latest reanalysis, ERA5, computed for the derived ship’s locations. This level of agreement is also confirmed by comparing the on-board estimates with ZTDs derived for terrestrial GNSS stations in Bremerhaven and Ny Ålesund and for the radio telescopes observing Very Long Baseline Interferometry in Ny Ålesund. Preliminary estimates of integrated water vapor derived from frequently launched radiosondes are used to assess the GNSS-derived integrated water vapor estimates. The overall difference of 0.08 ± 0.04 kg m−2 (RMS of the differences 1.47 kg m−2) demonstrates a good agreement between GNSS and radiosonde data. Finally, the water vapor variations associated with two warm air intrusion events in April 2020 are assessed.

scholarly journals VLBI from the Moon

1998 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 985-987
Author(s):  
L. I. Gurvits
Keyword(s):  
Radio Astronomy ◽  
Very Long Baseline Interferometry ◽  
Angular Resolution ◽  
High Angular Resolution ◽  
The Moon ◽  
Next Generation ◽  
Space Observatory ◽  
Long Baseline ◽  
The Earth ◽  
The Universe

Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) technique occupies a special place among tools for studying the Universe due to its record high angular resolution. The latter is in the inverse proportion to the length of interferometer baseline at any given wavelength. Until recently, the available angular resolution in radio domain of about 1 milliarcsecond at centimeter wavelengths was limited by the diameter of the Earth. However, many astrophysical problems require a higher angular resolution. The only way to achieve this at a given wavelength is to create an interferometer with the baseline larger than the Earth’s diameter by placing at least one telescope in space. In February 1997, the first dedicated Space VLBI mission, VLBI Space Observatory Program (VSOP), led by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Sciences (Japan) has been launched (Hirabayashi 1997). The VSOP mission opens a new dimension in the development of radio astronomy of extremely high angular resolution and will be followed by other Space VLBI missions. A review of scientific drives and technological challenges of the next generation Space VLBI mission have been discussed, for example, by Gurvits et al. (1996) and Ulvestad et al. (1997).

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