Narrow-Band Searches for Gravitational Radiation With Spacecraft Doppler Tracking

Abstract

We discuss a filtering technique for reducing the two-way Doppler frequency fluctuations of noise sources localized in space (like the troposphere, or the master clock) that affect the sensitivity of spacecraft Doppler tracking searches for gravitational radiation. This method takes advantage of the sinusoidal behavior of the transfer function to the Doppler observable of these noise sources, which displays sharp nulls at selected Fourier components. The non-zero gravitational wave signal remaining at these frequencies makes this Doppler tracking technique the equivalent of a series of narrow-band detectors of gravitional radiation[1], distributed across the low-frequency band. Estimates for the sensitivities achievable with the future Cassini Doppler tracking experiments are presented in the context of broad-band gravitational wave bursts, monochromatic signals, and a stochastic background of gravitational radiation.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Dec 01, 1997
Accession Number
ADA511719

Entities

People

  • J. W. Armstrong
  • Massimo Tinto

Organizations

  • California Institute of Technology

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Clocks
  • Data Analysis
  • Frequency
  • Frequency Bands
  • Frequency Standards
  • Jet Propulsion
  • Power Spectra
  • Radiation
  • Radio Equipment
  • Radio Frequency
  • Radio Signals
  • Radio Transmitters
  • Spacecraft
  • Time Intervals
  • Transfer Functions
  • Water Vapor
  • Waves

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Acoustics.
  • Space Exploration and Orbital Mechanics.
  • Spectroscopy.

Technology Areas

  • Space
  • Space - Space Objects