Single band VLBI absolute astrometry

TL;DR

This paper develops and validates procedures for using GNSS ionospheric maps to correct ionospheric delays in single-band VLBI astrometry, enabling accurate source position estimates despite ionospheric errors.

Contribution

The paper introduces optimal data analysis procedures and a stochastic model for ionospheric errors, improving the accuracy of single-band VLBI astrometry.

Findings

GNSS ionospheric maps can be scaled by 0.85 to reduce declination bias.

The stochastic model accurately describes ionospheric errors at 15% level.

Single-band VLBI astrometry becomes viable with proper ionospheric correction.

Abstract

The ionospheric path delay impacts single-band very long baseline interferometry (VLBI) group delays, which limits their applicability for absolute astrometry. I consider two important cases: when observations are made simultaneously at two bands, but delays at only one band are available for a subset of observations and when observations are made at one band by design. I developed optimal procedures of data analysis for both cases using Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) ionosphere maps, provided a stochastic model that describes ionospheric errors, and evaluated their impact on source position estimates. I demonstrate that the stochastic model is accurate at a level of 15%. I found that using GNSS ionospheric maps as is introduces serious biases in estimates of declinations and I developed the procedure that almost eliminates them. I found serendipitously that GNSS ionospheric maps have multiplicative errors and have to be scaled by 0.85 in order to mitigate the declination bias. A similar scale factor was found in comparison of the vertical total electron contents from satellite altimetry against GNSS ionospheric maps. I favor interpretation of this scaling factor as a manifestation of the inadequacy of the thin shell model of the ionosphere. I showed that we are able to model the ionospheric path delay to the extent that no noticeable systematic errors emerge and we are able to adequately assess the contribution of the ionosphere-driven random errors on source positions. This makes single-band absolute astrometry a viable option that can be used for source position determination.