First acceptance testing of multiple A10 absolute gravimeters in China and analysis of the comparison results

Three A10 absolute gravimeters(AGs) were first acquired in China by the Hubei Earthquake Agency under the Belt and Road Seismic Monitoring Network Project. Although AG measuring and testing technique is not new, the purchase and simultaneous testing of 3 A10 absolute gravimeters is unprecedented in China. This study conducted the first acceptance testing of the AGs at 3 locations(the Jiufengshan Gravity Observation Station, the Global Navigation Satellite System Observation Station in Wuhan, and the Jiugongshan Observation Station in Xianning). The results were compared using a method based on expert validation, and the acceptance testing scheme was formulated by referring to the Technical Regulations for Tectonic Environment Monitoring Networks in China and Specifications for Gravimetry Control. Based on the repeatability, precision, and consistency of the measured g values, the results from each instrument were evaluated using the air pressure precision test. Comparing the instrument reference values, the final test results can identify the indicator parameters for 3 A10 AGs, the effects of the surrounding environment, and the related parameters on measurement precision. The precision of A10-059, A10-058, and A10-057 exceeded 0.78 μGal, 0.79 μGal, and 0.42 μGal, respectively.This testing scheme can be used as a reference for conducting acceptance testing of AGs in the future and obtaining absolute gravimetric measurements.

A marine gravimeter based on electromagnetic damping and its tests in the South China Sea

A new gravity sensor based on electromagnetic damping for the JMGrav marine gravimeter is presented.The new gravity sensor considered the advanced construction methods of the electromagnetic damping system of the gravimeter.The design features of the new system are discussed and the research survey data in the South China Sea are shown.Numerical simulations are applied to model the magnetic and mechanical characteristics of the system using finite element analysis and to evaluate the force distribution and the resulting damping effects.The performance characteristics of the system were tested on a motion simulator in laboratory,and the gravimeter was subjected to vertical accelerations of up to 100 Gal in 1-1000 s.It was found that the amplitude reduction of vertical accelerations in 3-15 s is 30-45 dB,with a time lag of 2-5 s,while the effect on gravity in period greater than 600 s is less than 0.5 dB,with a time lag of less than 100 s.The accelerations cause discrepancies of approximately only 1 mGal between the static value and the mean dynamic value.The sea tests were conducted in September 2020.Gravity measurements were taken with a JMGrav marine gravimeter onboard the R/V Dongfanghong 3,and the effective survey line exceeded 2000 km.Completely irregular accelerations with peaks up to 100 Gal yielded a reduction of approximately 40 dB in amplitude.The survey data were evaluated using ocean gravity field models and grid line tests.The results show that the accuracy of the gravity measurements is better than 2 mGal.

Optimal zero-crossing group selection method of the absolute gravimeter based on improved auto-regressive moving average model

An absolute gravimeter is a precision instrument for measuring gravitational acceleration, which plays an important role in earthquake monitoring, crustal deformation, national defense construction, etc. The frequency of laser interference fringes of an absolute gravimeter gradually increases with the fall time. Data are sparse in the early stage and dense in the late stage. The fitting accuracy of gravitational acceleration will be affected by least-squares fitting according to the fixed number of zero-crossing groups. In response to this problem, a method based on Fourier series fitting is proposed in this paper to calculate the zero-crossing point. The whole falling process is divided into five frequency bands using the Hilbert transformation. The multiplicative auto-regressive moving average model is then trained according to the number of optimal zero-crossing groups obtained by the honey badger algorithm. Through this model, the number of optimal zero-crossing groups determined in each segment is predicted by the least-squares fitting. The mean value of gravitational acceleration in each segment is then obtained. The method can improve the accuracy of gravitational measurement by more than 25% compared to the fixed zero-crossing groups method. It provides a new way to improve the measuring accuracy of an absolute gravimeter.

Scintrex CG5 used for superconducting gravimeter calibration

The scale factor accuracy of superconducting gravimeters （SG） can be largely improved by a high repetition rate of calibration experiments. At stations where the availability of absolute gravimeters is limited, carefully calibrated spring gravimeters can be used for providing the reference signal assuming the irregular drift is properly adjusted. The temporal stability of the SG scale factor is assessable by comparing the temporal variations of M2 tidal parameters observed at neighboring SG sites or from synthetic tide models. Combining these methods reduces the SG scale factor error to a few 0.1%0. The paper addresses the particular procedure required for evaluating the calibration experiments based on spring gravimeters and presents results obtained at Conrad observatory （Austria）. Comparing the M2 amplitude factor modulation helped to reveal a SG scale factor offset of about 0.2%0 due to re-installation.

Comparison of noise-levels between superconducting gravimeter and gPhone gravimeter

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Accurate determination of calibration factor for tidal gravity observation of a GWR-superconducting gravimeter

It is recognized widely nowadays that the superconducting gravimeter (SG) is a kind of best relative gravimeter with high observing precision, good continuity and stability. However, it is necessary to calibrate the direct output (change in voltage) by using scale value (calibration factor) before getting the change of the real gravity field. Studies show that the accuracy of the scale value will influence the late analysis and explanation of the observations. By using absolute gravity measurements of a FG5 absolute gravimeter (AG) at Wuhan international tidal gravity fundamental station (two campaigns each for 3 days) and by using known tidal parameters at the same station, the calibration factors of the SG and their precision are studied in detail in this paper.

Calibration of the superconducting gravimeter based on a cold atom absolute gravimeter at NIM

The scale factor of a superconducting gravimeter(SG) is usually calibrated by using simultaneous and co-located gravity measurements with the FG5-type absolute gravimeter(AG). In this paper, another new kind of absolute gravimetercold atom gravimeter(CAG) is first reported to calibrate the SG. Five-day side-by-side gravity measurements have been carried out by using our CAG(NIM-AGRb-1) to calibrate the SG(iGrav-012) located at Changping Campus of the National Institute of Metrology(NIM) of China. A weighted least-squares method is applied to determine the scale factor and the result is given as(-928.01 ± 0.73) nm·s^(-2)·V^(-1) with a precision of 0.79‰. We have demonstrated that a calibration precision of 1‰ level can be achieved after 3 days of parallel observations at spring tide. The obtained calibration results are then compared with the previous calibration by FG5 X-249, which shows that the calibration precision obtained by using NIM-AGRb-1 was slightly higher than FG5 X-249 with the same time interval. The factors affecting the calibration precision are analyzed in the calibrations by means of different AGs. Finally, several calibration experiments for SG iGrav-012 are discussed. The final scale factor is estimated as(-927.58 ± 0.36) nm·s^(-2)·V^(-1) with an accuracy of 0.39‰. Our main results demonstrate that the CAGs can be used for high-precision calibrations of SGs.

Calibration of a compact absolute atomic gravimeter

Compact atomic gravimeters are the potential next generation precision instruments for gravity survey from fundamental research to broad field applications.We report the calibration results of our home build compact absolute atomic gravimeter USTC-AG02 at Changping Campus,the National Institute of Metrology(NIM),China in January 2019.The sensitivity of the atomic gravimeter reaches 35.5μGal/√Hz(1μGal=1×10-8 m/s2)and its long-term stability reaches 0.8μGal for averaging over 4000 seconds.Considering the statistical uncertainty,the dominant instrumental systematic errors and environmental effects are evaluated and corrected within a total uncertainty(2σ)of 15.3μGal.After compared with the reference g value given by the corner cube gravimeter NIM-3A,the atomic gravimeter USTC-AG02 reaches the degree of equivalence of 3.7μGal.

Far-field coseismic gravity changes related to the 2015 MW7.8 Nepal(Gorkha)earthquake observed by superconducting gravimeters in Chinese mainland

Using data from five SGs at four stations in Chinese mainland,obvious permanent gravity changes caused by the 2015 MW7.8 Nepal(Gorkha)earthquake were detected.We analyzed the gravity effects from ground vertical deformation(VD)using co-site continuous GPS(cGPS)data collocated at the Lijiang and the Wuhan station,and hydrological effects using GLDAS models and groundwater level records.After removing these effects,SG observations before and after the earthquake revealed obvious permanent gravity changes:−3.0μGal,7.3μGal and 8.0μGal at Lhasa,Lijiang and Wuhan station,respectively.We found that the gravity changes cannot be explained by the results of dislocation theory.

Movable precision gravimeters based on cold atom interferometry

High precision atom interferometers have shown attractive prospects in laboratory for testing fundamental physics and inertial sensing.Efforts on applying this innovative technology to field applications are also being made intensively.As the manipulation of cold atoms and related matching technologies mature,inertial sensors based on atom interferometry can be adapted to various indoor or mobile platforms.A series of experiments have been conducted and high performance has been achieved.In this paper,we will introduce the principles,the key technologies,and the applications of atom interferometers,and mainly review the recent progress of movable atom gravimeters.

Least Squares Spectral Analysis and Its Application to Superconducting Gravimeter Data Analysis

Detection of a periodic signal hidden in noise is the goal of Superconducting Gravimeter (SG) data analysis. Due to spikes, gaps, datum shrifts (offsets) and other disturbances, the traditional FFT method shows inherent limitations. Instead, the least squares spectral analysis (LSSA) has showed itself more suitable than Fourier analysis of gappy, unequally spaced and unequally weighted data series in a variety of applications in geodesy and geophysics. This paper reviews the principle of LSSA and gives a possible strategy for the analysis of time series obtained from the Canadian Superconducting Gravimeter Installation (CGSI), with gaps, offsets, unequal sampling decimation of the data and unequally weighted data points.

The influence of observation environment on background noise level of gPhone gravimeter

Based on the observations of 36 gPhone gravimeters in 2015, the background noise levels in the seismic frequency band（200-600 s） and sub-seismic band（1-6 h） are calculated. The differences in the PSD（power spectrum density） of each band of gPhone gravimetric gauges in different surrounding environments were analyzed and compared with Peterson＇s NLNM（new low-noise model） which is derived from the envelope at the power spectrum density of 75 seismograph stations around the world. The results showed that： the influence of station type on the noise magnitude of gPhone gravimeter is very small; The seismic band noise magnitude（hereinafter referred to as SNM） and the sub-seismic band noise magnitude（hereinafter referred to as SSNM） in the coastal gPhone gravimeter are higher than those of inland stations. Although the local hydrological change has a great influence on the gravity observation, the rainfall is not directly relative to the noise magnitude of the instrument. Except 3 coastal stations, the eight stations which had the highest amplitudes in the SNM were located near the seismic belt. This indicates that the SNM of the gPhone Gravimeter may reflect some seismic information.Compared with the NLNM model, the PSD of the gPhone gravimeter is lower than the NLNM model in the long period band（〈3×10^（-5）Hz）, indicating that the gPhone gravimeter is more suitable for detecting long-period signals（〉10 h） than the seismometer.

Investigation of the thermal adaptability for a mobile cold atom gravimeter

The cold atom gravimeter offers the prospect of a new generation of inertial sensors for field applications. We ac- complish a mobile atom gravimeter. With the compact and stable system, a sensitivity of 1.4× 10-7 g.Hz-1/2 is achieved. Moreover, a continuous gravity monitoring of 80 h is carried out. However, the harsh outdoor environment is a big challenge for the atom gravimeter when it is for field applications. In this paper, we present the preliminary investigation of the thermal adaptability for our mobile cold atom gravimeter. Here, we focus on the influence of the air temperature on the performance of the atom gravimeter. The responses to different factors （such as laser power, fiber coupling efficiency, etc.） are evaluated when there is a great temperature shift of 10 ℃. The result is that the performances of all the factors deteriorate to different extent, nevertheless, they can easily recover as the temperature comes back. Finally, we conclude that the variation of air temperature induces the increase of noise and the system error of the atom gravimeter as well, while the process is reversible with the recovery of the temperature.

Michelson laser interferometer-based vibration noise contribution measurement method for cold atom interferometry gravimeter

The measurement performance of the atom interferometry absolute gravimeter is strongly affected by the ground vibration noise.We propose a vibration noise evaluation scheme using a Michelson laser interferometer constructed by the intrinsic Raman laser of the atomic gravimeter.Theoretical analysis shows that the vibration phase measurement accuracy is better than 4 mrad,which corresponds to about 10-^10 g accuracy for a single shot gravity measurement.Compared with the commercial seismometer or accelerometer,this method is a simple,low cost,direct,and fully synchronized measurement of the vibration phase which should benefit the development of the atomic gravimeter.On the other side,limited by equivalence principle,the result of the laser interferometer is not absolute but relative vibration measurement.Triangular cap method could be used to evaluation the noise contribution of vibration,which is a different method from others and should benefit the development of the atomic gravimeter.

Estimated Green's function extracted from superconducting gravimeters and seismometers

Estimated Green’s function （EGF） between stations has been extracted from ambient seismic noise, direct surface wave and coda waves. It is also confirmed by laboratory experiments on ultrasonics and theoretical derivations assuming diffusive wave field, equi-partition of modes or random sources on an enclosed surface. This method provides a new approach to study the crust and mantle structure at regional scale, continental scale and global scale. Following the achievements with seismometer records, the records of infrasonic station, hydrophone and microphone were also used to obtain the EGFs of different wave fields. Since superconducting gravimeter is a better long period instrument than regular seismometer, EGF at longer period is expected to be obtained with the cross correlation of gravity data. In this paper, we will show the EGFs extracted by cross-correlations between the superconducting gravimeters and the seismometers. Both the travel times and dispersion curves obtained from different data types are consistent. The result shows that it is possible to retrieve the deep structure by the cross correlation of gravity data.

Tilt adjustment for a portable absolute atomic gravimeter

For an atomic gravimeter,the measured value of the Earth’s gravity acceleration g is the projection of the local gravity on the direction of Raman laser beams.To accurately measure the g,the Raman laser beams should be parallel to the g direction.We analyze the tilt effect of the Raman beams on g measurement and present a general method for the tilt adjustment.The systematic error caused by the tilt angle is evaluated as 0(+0,0.8)µGal(1µGal=10 nm/s^2)and the drift is also compensated in real time.Our method is especially suitable for the portable atomic gravimeter which focuses on the mobility and field applications.

Cross-Coupling Correction for LaCoste ＆ Romberg Airborne Gravimeter

Abstract The cross-coupling corrections for the LaCoste ＆ Romberg airborne gravimeter are computed as a linear combination of 5 so-called cross-coupling monitors. The weight factors （coefficients） determined from marine gravity data by the factory are obviously not optimal for airborne application. These coefficients are recalibrated by minimizing the difference between airborne data and upward continued surface data （external calibration） and by minimizing the errors at line crossings （internal calibration） respectively. An integrating method to recalibrate the above-mentioned coefficients and the beam scale factor simultaneously is also presented. Experimental results show that the systemic errors in the airborne gravity anomalies can be greatly reduced by using any of the recalibrated coefficients. For example, the systemic error is reduced from 4.8 mGal to 1.8 mGal in Datong test.

A high-precision borehole gravimeter

The paper describes the working principle and structure of a newly designed high-precision （ inicrogal） gravimeter, which is basically a vertically suspending spring-weight system, using a highly sensitive capacitance sensor of movement in a controlled temperature environment in a borehole and a multi-frequency output for both earth-tide and earthquake monitoring. The preliminary test indicated that, while in a stabilization process, it had met all the technical requirements for a relative gravimeter used for earth tide and earthquake monitoring.

Effect of Raman-pulse duration related to the magnetic field gradient in high-precision atom gravimeters

The effect of the Raman-pulse duration related to the magnetic field gradient, as a systematic error, is playing an important role on evaluating the performance of high-precision atomic gravimeters. We study this effect with a simplified theoretical model of the time-propagation operator. According to the typical parameters, we find that this effect should be taken into account when the gravimeter reaches an accuracy of 10^-10g, and the larger the pulse duration is, the more obvious the systematic effect will be. Finally, we make a simple discussion on the possibility of testing this effect.

Observation and Data Archiving System of a Superconducting Gravimeter at Syowa Station, Antarctica

A superconducting gravimeter (SG, model TT70#016, GWR Instruments) was deployed for the first time in Antarctica in 1992 at Syowa Station. Observations began in April 1993. Although the SG was equipped with a 10 K cryocooler, its liquid helium (LHe) required refilling twice a year to maintain its superconducting state. The LHe was produced by a separate helium liquefier. After continuous gravity measurement with the SG for 11 years, it was replaced by a second SG (CT#043) with a 4 K cryocooler in December 2003 in order to reduce loads of person in charge for LHe production. Because the manufacturer could not supply a replacement 4 K cryocooler, this SG ceased measurement in November 2009. In January 2010, a new superconducting gravimeter (OSG#058) was installed and had recorded high-quality gravity time series with data acquired every second for more than five years without interruption. Because the personal computer (PC) controlling the observation and data acquisition is connected with PCs in Japan through an Intelsat satellite communication link, we can check the status of observations in real time. It is also possible to fix remotely certain problems with the gravimeter. The observed gravity data are transferred daily to a data server in Japan. Also included in the upload are diagnostic data of the gravimeter such as the temperature of the coldhead and environmental data such as atmospheric pressure. Plots of the daily data are publicly available. The raw data with a 1 s sampling interval are also released to registered researchers. The released gravity time series along with the environmental data are greatly useful for investigating solid earth dynamics especially in the long period bands. We provide necessary information to use these long-range data sets.