测定天文大气折射和建立折射延迟实测模型的必要性

根据经典天体定位测量受天文大气折射的影响和现代空间大地测量对中性大气折射延迟改正的要求,分析了这些修正没有达到预期精度要求的原因:主要在于不能直接测定天文大气折射;文章针对这些影响量对大气分布模型的依赖性,改正值应随着不同的观测站和不同方位而异的要求,提出了提高这两种改正精度的有效途径:在各观测站不同方位的各天顶距,测定天文大气折射值,分别建立不同方位的大气折射实测模型,并利用实测数据,求解出折射率差和映射函数的参数,建立和采用随着观测站、随着方位而异的折射延迟改正模型。这一新方法的实施,将能在避免采用大气分布模型的情况下,把较低高度角的折射延迟改正精度从现在的米级提高到厘米级,并且把截止高度角压缩到5°以内。文章还论述了在各观测站多方向测定天文大气折射值的可能性。     

关于大气分布模型

简述了大气垂直分布情况和高空探测方法,分析了目前只能采用球对称大气分布模型的原因;论证了随观测站、随方位而异的天文大气折射实测模型和折射延迟改正模型,已经包含了观测站上空大气实际分布的非球对称特性,不必再去寻找或建立随地势而异和随季节而变的大气分布模型,避免了大气分布模型选择不当的影响,从一个方面为提高天文大气折射改正精度和电磁波大气折射延迟改正精度提供了保证。     

测定天文大气折射和建立电磁波折射延迟实测模型(Ⅰ)-观测原理和可行性

简述了天文大气折射和电磁波中性大气折射延迟的成因,以及不同观测站、不同方位的折射值存在差异的事实;根据测定瞬时天文大气折射、建立本地实测模型的观测原理和要求,分析了长期以来不能直接测定天文大气折射的几个主要障碍,介绍了现已具备的排除这些障碍的必要条件,为建立天文大气折射实测模型,和随观测站、随方位而异的电磁波折射延迟改正模型提供了保证。     

有限距离目标的大气折射改正

大气折射映射函数研究中的母函数方法大大地提高了对流层大气折射改正的计算精度，进而提供了在近地平时低高度观测的足够高精度大气折射改正计算方法。作为高精度大气折射模型的进一步考虑，有限距离目标，例如小于几百千米高度，可能对大气延迟和天大气折射都能引入额外的改正。本应用了天大气折射一些新定义，以及详细地讨论了一种有限距离目标的大气折射改正的计算模型，其中包含在映射函数中的角自变量从传统的真天顶距到本征天顶距的改变，对大气延迟和天大气折射的模拟计算表明：本结果对小于向百千米的目标在低于10°的观测具有一定的影响。     

测定天文大气折射和建立电磁波折射延迟实测模型(Ⅵ)-瞬时大气折射值和折射率差的取得

根据测定天文大气折射的原理,叙述了利用相应的观测值获得瞬时大气折射测定值和建立大气折射实测模型的途径,并从各种测定值与最后结果之间的关系,指出了这里对数据处理的要求;文章介绍了对测定值进行波长改正和建立折射延迟实测模型的处理方法,分析了改正模型对天文大气折射测定值的分布要求,给出了观测数据随天顶距的增大而加密的分布模型。     

测定天文大气折射和建立电磁波折射延迟实测模型(Ⅲ)-专用测量仪器

针对用天文大气折射测定值,建立随观测站和随方位而异的电磁波折射延迟改正模型的高精度要求,提出了新的仪器误差理论,其主要内容是允许仪器误差存在,并看成是不断变化的,采用相应的测量方法作实时的测定和修正,同时消除仪器的各种变形和误差的影响,排除观测数据中的各种系统误差来源,并达到提高单次测定精度目的;文中还针对不同纬度的观测站、多方位、从天顶直到低空的观测需要,给出了仪器总体结构的安排,和采用视频CCD作为接收器的终端设计方案,也给出了各种仪器误差的测定方法和测量装置的设计要求。     

电磁波折射延迟的弯曲改正

针对中性大气折射延迟改正中压缩截止高度角和提高改正精度的要求,推导了电磁波折射延迟中由天文大气折射引起的路径弯曲改正的计算公式,这是在许多理论模型中给出中性大气折射延迟改正的公式时,都会在主项后边给出的,却又因为它是小量而常被忽略的一项改正.实际上,在不太低的高度角,例如15°,这一项就达到1 cm量级,是不能忽略的.李延兴等人专门对这一改正作了推导,给出了逐步逼近的计算方法和计算值;严毫健也曾给出了直接计算的公式,计算结果却比李延兴等人的小3倍多,这说明对该项改正有必要作进一步的研究,拿出简便可靠的计算公式.     

映射函数对天文大气折射的改进

本文利用大气折射积分母函数方法,分别给出在射电波段和光学波段上天文大气折射改正的映射函数,并完整地考虑了天文学和空间技术所需要的物理和地球物理因素引入的改正．本文还利用探空气球的资料分析了新天文大气折射改正公式的实际精度;计算结果证明：它在2°高度角时达到5”左右,而在5°高度角时约为1”．我们认为：限制计算精度的主要因素是真实地球大气分布与理论大气模型的区别．     

关于天文折射

本文概述了天文折射产生的原因及其对天体测量观测的影响;天文折射的早期和近代的一些理论,以及依据这些理论建立的模型。同时指出,这些理论和模型所存在的问题,关键是不能客观地描述真实大气状况,这导致了折射表的不精确,尤其是在大天顶距的情况下。强调了从天体测量观测和研究大气状况本身的需要出发,用新方法及手段实时实地的对天文折射进行测量。     

关于天文大气折射的讨论

通过比较天文大气折射级数表达形式和映射函数表达形式,认为对于一个具体的大气折射模型而言,前者的计算精度不会低于后者,理论推导的级数表达式则因为作了不同的近似,使收敛性较差;经过分析大气折射映射函数的母函数方法,认为这种方法不能体现地球物理和大气物理的特性;通过比较指出,采用某地特定的大气分布所建立的大气折射模型,不是各地都适用的,也不能用来评价其他的大气折射模型;为了提高修正精度,关键问题在于采用有效的方法,在不同方位直接测定瞬时大气折射值,建立本地的随方位而异的大气折射实测模型.     

A Possible Means of Improving the Accuracy of Refraction Delay Correction of Neutral Atmosphere

The space geodetic technology requires an accurate model of correction of refraction delay by the neutral atmosphere that varies from one observing station to another, and from one azimuth to the next. It is pointed out that under the present condition the astronomical refraction can not yet be directly determined, any correction model because of its high dependence on the assumed atmospheric distribution, is incapable of achieving the required accuracy or of improving the cut-off altitude. In this paper, based on the special properties of the lower latitude meridian circle at Yunnan Observatory and our experience of determining atmospheric refraction therewith, a new method is proposed for improving the accuracy of refraction delay correction. Namely, the measured data of astronomical refraction of an observing station from near zenith to low altitudes in different azimuths are used to evaluate the refractivities and the parameters of the mapping functions, thereby establishing a model of atmospheric refraction delay correction that varies with the observing station and the azimuth. Since it is unnecessary for the new method to adopt any atmospheric distribution model, application of this new method will improve correction accuracy of refraction delay to better than 1mm at zenith and to centimeters at low altitudes, and improve the cut-off altitude to below 5 degrees.     

Determination of the Instantaneous Values of Astronomical Atmospheric Refraction and Local Observational Modeling

A new application of astronomical atmospheric refraction in space geodesy is utilized. It is pointed out that in order to meet the high needs of this new application there must be an effective method by means of which the instantaneous value of atmospheric refraction can be directly determined. An atmospheric refraction model fitting in the geographical environment surrounding the observing station is established and then transformed into the neutral atmospheric refraction delay correction model. In this article the necessary conditions for the determination of the value of atmospheric refraction are briefly described. A method for the direct determination of the values of instantaneous atmospheric refraction in various directions and at various zenith distances by taking advantage of the observational principle of the low latitude meridian circle, explored by the Yunnan Observatory, is expounded and the atmospheric refraction observational models built on the basis of stellar spectral type classification in the 4 directions of east, south, west and north and by making use of the observed data are given.     

On Astronomical Atmospheric Refraction

Through a comparison between the series expression and mapping function expression of the astronomical refraction, we believe that, as far as a specific atmospheric refraction model is concerned, the computational accuracy is not lower in the former than in the latter, and that the convergence is poorer in the theoretically derived series expression, because of the different approximations made. From an analysis of the method of generating function of the atmospheric refraction mapping function it is considered that this kind of method can not embody the characteristics of geophysics and atmospheric physics. It is pointed out from the comparison that the atmospheric refraction model which is constructed by adopting the specific atmospheric distribution of a certain place does not apply to all other places and cannot be used to evaluate the other atmospheric refraction models. For improving the correction accuracy the key lies in the adoption of an effective method by which the instantaneous refraction values at different positions are directly determined to construct a local, position-dependent model of atmospheric refraction observation.     

大气折射母函数方法、大气折射解析解和映射函数

回顾了作为实用天文学和大地测量学中基本研究课题之一的大气折射映射函数研究的进展。介绍了近几年上海天文台发展的大气折射母函数方法 ,以及由此导出的大气折射解析解。对如今广泛地应用在空间测量技术中的几种映射函数做出评述 ;分析了NMF模型的优点和不足之处。介绍了由大气折射母函数方法引出的大气延迟新连分式映射函数和天文大气折射的映射函数方法。利用VLBI实验中高度截止角与基线长度重复率的关系、探空气球 (radiosonde)观测资料、PRARE资料比较了各种映射函数的结果。特别指出了映射函数方法对天文大气折射和光学波段测距精度的改进。讨论了大气折射计算中的主要误差源。     

Path Bending Correction for Refraction Delay of Electromagnetic Waves

Focusing on lowering the cut-off elevation in the neutral atmosphere refraction delay correction and on raising the accuracy of the correction, we derive the formulae for calculating the correction for the bending of the light path caused by atmospheric refraction. This is the sort of correction that is given after the principal term in theoretical models of neutral atmospheric refraction delay correction, but is often neglected because it is a small quantity. However, in practice, for a not too low elevation like 15°, this term reaches 1 cm order of magnitude and can not be neglected. Li Yan-xing et al. specially gave a derivation of this correction and a computational method by successive approximation and some calculated values. Yan Hao-jian also proposed a formula of direct calculation but his calculated result was more than 3 times smaller than that of Li Yan-xing, which shows that further study of this correction is called for. Here we give a simple, convenient and reliable formula for calculating the correction.     

测定天文大气折射和建立电磁波折射延迟实测模型(Ⅴ)-视天顶距测定值的取得

简述了测定瞬时大气折射值以及建立电磁波折射延迟改正模型时,对视天顶距测定值的精度要求和消除系统误差的必要性;根据新的仪器误差理论,文章采取与国外高精度测量仪器的误差测量方法相对比的方式,介绍了专用测量仪器的各种主要误差的测定方法及其所能达到的精度;还介绍了在不同方位的观测时,视频CCD图像中星像的分布情况。     

测定天文大气折射和建立电磁波折射延迟实测模型(Ⅳ)-瞬时天文纬度测定值

根据测定天文大气折射的原理,以及建立电磁波折射延迟改正模型的需要,叙述了对瞬时天文纬度测定值的严格要求;分析了经典测量仪器和空间大地测量技术所得的瞬时纬度测定值在这里不适用的原因;提出采用子午方向以外的各给定方位的时角测定值与计算值之差,解算瞬时纬度测定值的新方法,以避免大气折射修正值残差的影响;文章对观测数据的处理提出了特殊要求,并论述了所拟专用测量仪器对实施这一方法的可行性。     

The Method of Differential Measurement of Astronomical Refraction and Results of Trial Observations

Because of the influence of atmospheric refraction the astronomical observations of the objects with the angles of elevation below 15° are generally avoided, but for the sake of the complete theoretical research the atmospheric refraction under the condition of lower angles of elevation is still worthy to be analyzed and explored. Especially for some engineering applications the objects with low angles of elevation must be observed sometimes. A new idea for determining atmospheric refraction by utilizing the differential method is proposed. A series of observations of the starry sky at different heights are carried out and by starting from the zenith with a telescope with larger field of view, the derivatives of various orders of atmospheric refraction function at different zenith distances are calculated and finally the actually observed values of atmospheric refraction can be found via numerical integration. The method does not depend upon the strict local parameters and complex precise observational instrumentation, and the observational principle is relatively simple. By the end of 2007 a simply constructed telescope with a larger field of view at Xinglong Observing Station was employed to carry out trial observations. The values of atmospheric refraction at the true zenith distances of 44.8° to 87.5° were obtained from the practical observations based on the differential method, and the feasibility of the method of differential measurement of atmospheric refraction was preliminarily justified. Being limited by the observational conditions, the accuracy of the observed result was limited, the maximal accidental error was about 6” and there existed certain systematic errors. The value of the difference between the result obtained at the zenith distance of 84° and that given in the Pulkovo atmospheric refraction table was about 15”. How to eliminate the cumulative error introduced due to the integration model error is the key problem which needs to be solved in future.