Future Satellite Gravity Missions enhanced by Cold Atom Interferometry Accelerometers

Research output: Contribution to conferenceAbstractResearch

Authors

Research Organisations

External Research Organisations

  • DLR-Institute for Satellite Geodesy and Inertial Sensing
  • LNE-SYRTE - Observatoire de Paris
  • PSL Research University
  • Sorbonne Université
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Details

Original languageEnglish
Publication statusPublished - 4 Mar 2021
EventEGU General Assembly 2021 - online
Duration: 19 Apr 202130 Apr 2021

Conference

ConferenceEGU General Assembly 2021
Period19 Apr 202130 Apr 2021

Abstract

Satellite gravity missions, like GRACE and GRACE Follow-On, successfully map the Earth"s gravity field and its changes, but the boundaries of spatial and temporal resolution need to be pushed further. The major enhancement from GRACE to GRACE-FO is the laser interferometry instrument which enables a much more accurate inter-satellite ranging. However, the accelerometers used for observing the non-conservative forces have merely been improved and are one major limiting factor for gravity field recovery. Inertial sensors based on cold atom interferometry (CAI) show promising characteristics, especially their long-term stability at frequencies below 10^-3 Hz is very beneficial. The CAI concept has already been successfully demonstrated in ground experiments. In space, an even higher sensitivity is expected due to increased interrogation time of one interferometer measurement cycle.In this contribution, we investigate potential next-generation gravity missions (NGGM) following the GRACE design, employing an LRI with GRACE-FO characteristics and the utilisation of CAI accelerometry. The combination of CAI technology with a classic electrostatic accelerometer is evaluated as well. The sensor performances are tested via closed-loop simulations for different scenarios and the recovered gravity field results are evaluated. In order to achieve a realistic model of the atomic interferometer, noise levels depending on the architecture of the sensor and its transfer function are included. Here, also the effect of variations of the non-gravitational accelerations during one interferometer cycle is analyzed.Another crucial aspect for satellite missions is the drag compensation. Its requirement is reduced by two orders of magnitude when using a CAI accelerometer due to its better known scale factor. The feasibility of such requirements is assessed with respect to simulated satellite dynamics for several altitudes and drag compensation parameters.H.W. acknowledges support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy - EXC 2123 "QuantumFrontiers, Project-ID 390837967". A.K. acknowledges initial funding for the DLR Institute by the Ministry of Science and Culture of the German State of Lower Saxony from "Niedersächsisches Vorab". A.H. acknowledges support by DLR-Institute for Satellite Geodesy and Inertial Sensing....

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Future Satellite Gravity Missions enhanced by Cold Atom Interferometry Accelerometers. / Knabe, Annike; Wu, Hu; Schilling, Manuel et al.
2021. Abstract from EGU General Assembly 2021.

Research output: Contribution to conferenceAbstractResearch

Knabe, A, Wu, H, Schilling, M, HosseiniArani, A, Müller, J, Santos, FPD & Beaufils, Q 2021, 'Future Satellite Gravity Missions enhanced by Cold Atom Interferometry Accelerometers', EGU General Assembly 2021, 19 Apr 2021 - 30 Apr 2021. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7612
Knabe, A., Wu, H., Schilling, M., HosseiniArani, A., Müller, J., Santos, F. P. D., & Beaufils, Q. (2021). Future Satellite Gravity Missions enhanced by Cold Atom Interferometry Accelerometers. Abstract from EGU General Assembly 2021. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7612
Knabe A, Wu H, Schilling M, HosseiniArani A, Müller J, Santos FPD et al.. Future Satellite Gravity Missions enhanced by Cold Atom Interferometry Accelerometers. 2021. Abstract from EGU General Assembly 2021. doi: 10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7612
Knabe, Annike ; Wu, Hu ; Schilling, Manuel et al. / Future Satellite Gravity Missions enhanced by Cold Atom Interferometry Accelerometers. Abstract from EGU General Assembly 2021.
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title = "Future Satellite Gravity Missions enhanced by Cold Atom Interferometry Accelerometers",
abstract = "Satellite gravity missions, like GRACE and GRACE Follow-On, successfully map the Earth{"}s gravity field and its changes, but the boundaries of spatial and temporal resolution need to be pushed further. The major enhancement from GRACE to GRACE-FO is the laser interferometry instrument which enables a much more accurate inter-satellite ranging. However, the accelerometers used for observing the non-conservative forces have merely been improved and are one major limiting factor for gravity field recovery. Inertial sensors based on cold atom interferometry (CAI) show promising characteristics, especially their long-term stability at frequencies below 10^-3 Hz is very beneficial. The CAI concept has already been successfully demonstrated in ground experiments. In space, an even higher sensitivity is expected due to increased interrogation time of one interferometer measurement cycle.In this contribution, we investigate potential next-generation gravity missions (NGGM) following the GRACE design, employing an LRI with GRACE-FO characteristics and the utilisation of CAI accelerometry. The combination of CAI technology with a classic electrostatic accelerometer is evaluated as well. The sensor performances are tested via closed-loop simulations for different scenarios and the recovered gravity field results are evaluated. In order to achieve a realistic model of the atomic interferometer, noise levels depending on the architecture of the sensor and its transfer function are included. Here, also the effect of variations of the non-gravitational accelerations during one interferometer cycle is analyzed.Another crucial aspect for satellite missions is the drag compensation. Its requirement is reduced by two orders of magnitude when using a CAI accelerometer due to its better known scale factor. The feasibility of such requirements is assessed with respect to simulated satellite dynamics for several altitudes and drag compensation parameters.H.W. acknowledges support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy - EXC 2123 {"}QuantumFrontiers, Project-ID 390837967{"}. A.K. acknowledges initial funding for the DLR Institute by the Ministry of Science and Culture of the German State of Lower Saxony from {"}Nieders{\"a}chsisches Vorab{"}. A.H. acknowledges support by DLR-Institute for Satellite Geodesy and Inertial Sensing....",
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Download

TY - CONF

T1 - Future Satellite Gravity Missions enhanced by Cold Atom Interferometry Accelerometers

AU - Knabe, Annike

AU - Wu, Hu

AU - Schilling, Manuel

AU - HosseiniArani, Alireza

AU - Müller, Jürgen

AU - Santos, Franck Pereira dos

AU - Beaufils, Quentin

PY - 2021/3/4

Y1 - 2021/3/4

N2 - Satellite gravity missions, like GRACE and GRACE Follow-On, successfully map the Earth"s gravity field and its changes, but the boundaries of spatial and temporal resolution need to be pushed further. The major enhancement from GRACE to GRACE-FO is the laser interferometry instrument which enables a much more accurate inter-satellite ranging. However, the accelerometers used for observing the non-conservative forces have merely been improved and are one major limiting factor for gravity field recovery. Inertial sensors based on cold atom interferometry (CAI) show promising characteristics, especially their long-term stability at frequencies below 10^-3 Hz is very beneficial. The CAI concept has already been successfully demonstrated in ground experiments. In space, an even higher sensitivity is expected due to increased interrogation time of one interferometer measurement cycle.In this contribution, we investigate potential next-generation gravity missions (NGGM) following the GRACE design, employing an LRI with GRACE-FO characteristics and the utilisation of CAI accelerometry. The combination of CAI technology with a classic electrostatic accelerometer is evaluated as well. The sensor performances are tested via closed-loop simulations for different scenarios and the recovered gravity field results are evaluated. In order to achieve a realistic model of the atomic interferometer, noise levels depending on the architecture of the sensor and its transfer function are included. Here, also the effect of variations of the non-gravitational accelerations during one interferometer cycle is analyzed.Another crucial aspect for satellite missions is the drag compensation. Its requirement is reduced by two orders of magnitude when using a CAI accelerometer due to its better known scale factor. The feasibility of such requirements is assessed with respect to simulated satellite dynamics for several altitudes and drag compensation parameters.H.W. acknowledges support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy - EXC 2123 "QuantumFrontiers, Project-ID 390837967". A.K. acknowledges initial funding for the DLR Institute by the Ministry of Science and Culture of the German State of Lower Saxony from "Niedersächsisches Vorab". A.H. acknowledges support by DLR-Institute for Satellite Geodesy and Inertial Sensing....

AB - Satellite gravity missions, like GRACE and GRACE Follow-On, successfully map the Earth"s gravity field and its changes, but the boundaries of spatial and temporal resolution need to be pushed further. The major enhancement from GRACE to GRACE-FO is the laser interferometry instrument which enables a much more accurate inter-satellite ranging. However, the accelerometers used for observing the non-conservative forces have merely been improved and are one major limiting factor for gravity field recovery. Inertial sensors based on cold atom interferometry (CAI) show promising characteristics, especially their long-term stability at frequencies below 10^-3 Hz is very beneficial. The CAI concept has already been successfully demonstrated in ground experiments. In space, an even higher sensitivity is expected due to increased interrogation time of one interferometer measurement cycle.In this contribution, we investigate potential next-generation gravity missions (NGGM) following the GRACE design, employing an LRI with GRACE-FO characteristics and the utilisation of CAI accelerometry. The combination of CAI technology with a classic electrostatic accelerometer is evaluated as well. The sensor performances are tested via closed-loop simulations for different scenarios and the recovered gravity field results are evaluated. In order to achieve a realistic model of the atomic interferometer, noise levels depending on the architecture of the sensor and its transfer function are included. Here, also the effect of variations of the non-gravitational accelerations during one interferometer cycle is analyzed.Another crucial aspect for satellite missions is the drag compensation. Its requirement is reduced by two orders of magnitude when using a CAI accelerometer due to its better known scale factor. The feasibility of such requirements is assessed with respect to simulated satellite dynamics for several altitudes and drag compensation parameters.H.W. acknowledges support by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany's Excellence Strategy - EXC 2123 "QuantumFrontiers, Project-ID 390837967". A.K. acknowledges initial funding for the DLR Institute by the Ministry of Science and Culture of the German State of Lower Saxony from "Niedersächsisches Vorab". A.H. acknowledges support by DLR-Institute for Satellite Geodesy and Inertial Sensing....

U2 - 10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7612

DO - 10.5194/egusphere-egu21-7612

M3 - Abstract

T2 - EGU General Assembly 2021

Y2 - 19 April 2021 through 30 April 2021

ER -

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