Plans to Improve the Experimental Limit in the Comparison of the East-West and West-East One-Way Light Propagation Times on the Rotating Earth
Abstract
The preceding paper describes the results so far (interrupted in the Spring of 1989 because of lack of funds) of an experiment comparing the one-way light propagation times on the surface of the rotating Earth. For the 20 Km path length component in the East-West direction the predicted difference between the opposite sense propagation times would be 160 ps, if the approx. 360 Km/s surface speed of the Earth gives effective light speeds of 3 x 10E8 m/s plus or minus 360 m/s. This could lead to a prediction of the difference between clock transport and the light pulse synchronization methods described in the preceding paper: delta T = 0.5 (160) = 80 ps. The current upper bound of approx. 100 ps for delta T is limited by poorly understood systematic errors. The most important seems to be intensity-dependent time delays in the remote light pulse avalanche photo-diode detector. This will be replaced by a continuously operating circular scan streak camera having single photon sensitivity and a time resolution of approx. 5 ps. (This camera has recently been developed by the Xian Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics in the P.R.C.). Better isolation from shocks and vibration for the Sigma-Tau hydrogen maser during transport will be provided. It is hoped that delta T < 20 ps can be achieved.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1992
- Accession Number
- ADA500933
Entities
People
- A. V. Sergienko
- B. C. Wang
- C. O. Alley
- F. M. Yang
- R. A. Nelson
- T. E. Kiess
- Y. H. Shih
Organizations
- University of Maryland