Advances in Astrometry and Geophysics Made Possible by Radio Interferometry.

摘要

Radio Interferometry has had a tremendous impact on the development of astrometry and geodesy. Barry Clark has played a leading role in developing the technology of radio interferometry through his work on connected-element interferometry, i.e., the Green Bank Interferometer and Very Large Array; and VLBI, i.e., the Mark I and II VLBI systems and the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA). These efforts resulted in an increase in astrometric accuracy of four orders of magnitude. Stellar positions at radio wavelengths now can be measured with a precision of 0.1 milliarcseconds (mas). Earth orientation parameters such as UT1 and polar motion are now measured with precisions of 10 microarcseconds (micronas). The precession constants and models for nutation need revision to precisions at the microarcsecond level. Tectonic plate motion was directly measured in the 1980s. These were and are exciting times for research in these fields and Barry's scientific career parallels them especially in astrometry.