Current developments in quantum physics will enable novel applications and measurement concepts in geodesy and Earth observation. In this Session, we will discuss new sensors and mission concepts that apply advanced techniques for the study of the gravitational field of the Earth on ground and in space. Terrestrial gravity anomalies will be determined by observing free-falling atoms (quantum gravimetry) gradually replacing the falling corner cubes. This technique can also be applied for future gradiometric measurements in space.
According to Einstein’s theory of general relativity, frequency comparisons of highly precise optical clocks connected by optical links give access to differences of the gravity potential (relativistic geodesy) for gravity field recovery and height determination. In future, precise optical could clouds be applied for defining and realizing height systems in a new way, and moreover, help to improve the accuracy of the International Atomic Time scale TAI. They are important for all space geodetic techniques as well as for the realization of reference systems and their connections.
Additionally, laser interferometry between test masses in space with nanometer accuracy – which has been realized in the GRACE-FO mission – belongs to these novel concepts, and in the future even more refined concepts (tracking a swarm of satellites, space gradiometry) will be realized.
Finally, changes in the gravity field can be derived from GNSS displacements which play an increasingly important role due to the relatively cheap and easy deployment of new GNSS receivers and the large number of available stations.
These techniques will open the door for a vast bundle of applications such as fast local gravimetric surveys and exploration, and the observation of Earth system processes from space with high spatial and temporal resolution.
We invite presentations to illustrate the principles and state of the art of those novel techniques and the application of the new methods for terrestrial and satellite geodesy (where local and global mass variations and surface deformations will be observed with substantially improved accuracy and resolution, variations that reflect changes in the Earth system), navigation and fundamental physics. We also welcome papers for further applications and invite contributions covering the theoretical description of the new methods, introducing novel theoretical concepts as well as new modelling schemes.