SAMOP 2023 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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Q: Fachverband Quantenoptik und Photonik
Q 59: Poster IV
Q 59.31: Poster
Donnerstag, 9. März 2023, 16:30–19:00, Empore Lichthof
GRACE Follow-On and the Laser Ranging Interferometer: Measuring Earth Gravity from Space — •Malte Misfeldt1,2, Vitali Müller1,2, and Gerhard Heinel1,2 — 1Institut für Gravitationsphysik, Leibniz Universität Hannover — 2Max-Planck Institut für Gravitationsphysik
The GRACE (Gravity Recovery And Climate Experiment) Follow-On twin satellites were launched in mid 2018 for continuity of the Earth gravity field measurements from GRACE (2002-2017). Formerly, the ranging measurement was performed using microwave interference. However, GRACE-FO hosts the novel Laser Ranging Interferometer (LRI), a technology-demonstrator for proving the feasibility of laser interferometry for precise inter-satellite ranging. The LRI surpasses the accuracy of the conventional microwave by a factor of 500 at high frequencies, which possibly enables new analysis techniques and insights into hydrological processes on Earth's surface.
This presentation discusses the design and working principle of the LRI are discussed. Furthermore, an outlook toward the next generation of gravity missions with an improved version of the LRI as the primary ranging instrument is given.