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Future radio reference frames and implications for the Gaia link

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 February 2011

C. Turon ,
F. Meynadier ,
F. Arenou ,
G. Bourda ,
P. Charlot  and
C. S. Jacobs
G. Bourda
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS/UMR 5804, 2 rue de l’Observatoire, BP. 89, 33271 Floirac Cedex, France
P. Charlot
Affiliation:
Laboratoire d’Astrophysique de Bordeaux, Université de Bordeaux, CNRS/UMR 5804, 2 rue de l’Observatoire, BP. 89, 33271 Floirac Cedex, France
C. S. Jacobs
Affiliation:
Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology/NASA, USA
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Abstract

Since January 1st, 2010, the IAU (International Astronomical Union) fundamental celestial reference frame has been the 2nd International Celestial Reference Frame (ICRF2), which is composed of Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) positions for more than 3000 extragalactic radio sources. This frame is constantly improving through joint efforts of the VLBI community. By surveying the whole sky up to magnitude 20, the European space astrometric mission Gaia will soon create its own celestial reference frame directly in the optical domain and with many more sources. By 2015–2020, the two frames will thus cohabit and it will be important to align these to the highest accuracy for consistency between optical and radio positions. In this paper, we present the various observational approaches that are undertaken to improve the VLBI frame in the future. These include extension to weaker sources for densification, extension to higher radio frequencies to take advantage of the more compact morphology of the sources at these frequencies, and further observations in the southern hemisphere for homogeneous sky coverage. We also elaborate on how such future radio frames should contribute to highly-precise alignment between the VLBI and Gaia frames within the next decade.

Type
Research Article
Information
European Astronomical Society Publications Series , Volume 45: GAIA: At the Frontiers of Astrometry , 2010 , pp. 377 - 380
Copyright
© EAS, EDP Sciences 2011

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References

Références

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