Earth rotation variations observed by VLBI and the Wettzell "G" ring laser during the CONT17 campaign

Abstract

CONT17 is a campaign of continuous VLBI (Very Long Baseline Interferometry) sessions performed from 28th of November to 12th of December 2017. Telescopes from two legacy S/X networks were observing in parallel for 15 days. Additionally, the stations of the VGOS (VLBI Global Observing System) broadband demonstration network were participating in 5 consecutive sessions. The ring laser gyroscope "G" in Wettzell, an inertial sensor for Earth rotation variations, was also operating during the time of CONT17 and delivered stable and high quality measurements for that period. In this study, we investigate the Earth orientation parameters determined from the different networks individually, as well as solutions from combinations of the VLBI observations among each other and with the measurements of the Ring Laser.