Evaluation of time change of the Love k2 and k3 numbers using LAGEOS SLR data
In this paper, we present the estimated Love numbers for degree 2 and 3 (k2 and k3). The determination was based on the Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) data of LAGEOS-1 and LAGEOS-2 satellites obtained within the period of January 1, 2014 until January 1, 2016. The results were compared with our previous determination of these parameters for the period from January 1, 2005 until January 1, 2007 to examine whether any systematic differences and time evolution occur. The adjusted values for the k2 and k3 parameters are, 0.29867±0.0001 and 0.0898±0.0047 (LAGEOS-1 data), respectively and 0.29858±0.0001 and 0.0867±0.0047 (LAGEOS-2 data). The discrepancies between the k2 and k3 values obtained in our previous paper [25] and this analysis are: –0.00293 (LAGEOS-1 data) and –0.00202 (LAGEOS-2 data) for k2 and –0.0091 (LAGEOS-1 data) and 0.0057 (LAGEOS-2 data) for k3. The obtained discrepancies in the k2 and k3 values may indicate their change over time. Keywords: tides, Love numbers, SLR, LAGEOS-1, LAGEOS-2