The Analysis of the Influence of Coordinate Error of Observation Station On the Construction Accuracy of Pulsar Time
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Zurong Zhou,
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Chengshi Zhao,
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Yuping Gao,
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Jianping Yuan,
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Wei Han,
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Shougang Zhang,
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Yue Hu,
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Shijun Dang,
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Na Wang,
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Jingbo Wang,
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Minglei Tong,
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De Wu
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Abstract
Errors in observatory coordinates directly impact the precision of pulsar time-scale construction. Using the pulsar timing software TEMPO2, this study simulates various station position errors within the three-dimensional terrestrial reference frame for three different types of millisecond pulsars, over periods of 13 days and 5 years, and analyzes their effects on pulsar timing results.The findings demonstrate that, for both 13‑day and 5‑year observation spans, station coordinate errors substantially reduce the accuracy of pulsar timescale construction when the zenith angle exhibits long‑term variations. This effect is independent of pulsar type and the daily observable time of the station antenna for the pulsar. A linear relationship is found between station coordinate errors and the Root-Mean-Square (RMS) of pulsar timing residuals, with fitted linear coefficients ranging from 1.36\times10^-11 to 1.61\times10^-9 for the three pulsars. The Roemer delay error caused by coordinate inaccuracies is notably larger than other delay and correction terms. Errors along the x- and y-axes have comparable influences on timing precision, whereas errors along the z-axis have a relatively smaller effect. Kendall correlation analysis between station error-induced Roemer delay and RMS yields a correlation coefficient r=1.67\% and p=100\% in all cases, indicating that, at current timing precision levels, coordinate errors primarily affect the Roemer delay term and thus the pulse arrival times, which is highly consistent with theoretical models.While these findings offer valuable insights into the key factors influencing pulsar timescale accuracy and related applications, they may not hold under conditions of a constant zenith angle or limited elevation angles, such as those at FAST.
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