Angular navigation on short baselines using phase delay interferometry

Abstract

Results are presented for two recent short baseline experiments, with baseline lengths of 6 and 253 km, showing delay residuals of 10 ps or less for angularly close sources. On the 6-km baseline, a fiber-optic link was used to distribute a common frequency reference, enabling coherent operation of the two stations. The observed delay residuals correspond to a differential angular accuracy of about 10 nrad on the 253-km baseline. Future plans are discussed, including the development of a realtime correlation capability on a 22-km baseline at Goldstone, CA.