Evaluate the ICRF3 axes stability via extragalactic source position time series

TL;DR

This paper evaluates the stability of the ICRF3 axes using extragalactic source position time series from VLBI data, confirming high stability and robustness of the current reference frame.

Contribution

It provides an updated analysis of ICRF3 axes stability, demonstrating minimal drift and confirming the robustness of the four-step solution method.

Findings

ICRF3 axes are stable at 10-20 microarcseconds.

Stability does not degrade with new network data.

Four-step solution method is robust.

Abstract

We present an updated study on assessing the axes stability of the third generation of the International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF3) in terms of linear drift and scatter based on the extragalactic source position time series from analyses of archival very long baseline interferometry observations. Our results show that the axes of the ICRF3 are stable at a level of 10 to 20 microseconds of arc, and it does not degrade after the adoption of the ICRF3 when observations from new networks are included. We also show that the commonly used method of deriving the position time series (four-step solution) is robust.