100 Picosecond/Sub-10−17 Level GPS Differential Precise Time and Frequency Transfer

Abstract

A Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) is a high-precision method for comparing clocks and time transfer. The GNSS carrier phase can provide more precise observable information than pseudorange. However, the carrier phase is ambiguous, and only pseudorange can provide the absolute time difference between two clocks. In our study, by taking full advantage of GNSS pseudorange and carrier-phase observables, a differential precise time transfer (DPT) method with a clustering constraint was employed to estimate the time difference between two clocks, aiming to achieve accurate and precise time and frequency transfer. Using this method, several time transfer results were analyzed for different baselines. For the common clock experiment, the time transfer results showed good consistency across different days, with an intra-day accuracy of within 20 ps. Furthermore, we evaluated the self-consistency of DPT using closure among three stations. DPT closure of the three stations had a peak-to-peak value of closure of about 25 ps. The closure did not change over time, indicating the self-consistency of the DPT processing in time transfer. Moreover, our results were compared to station clock solutions provided by the International GNSS Service (IGS), and the standard deviations (STDs) of the four baselines were all less than 100 ps within one month, confirming the time and frequency stability of the DPT method. In addition, we found that the time stability of DPT was less than 20 ps within one week. As for frequency stability, DPT achieved a 10−16 level of modified Allan deviation (MDEV) at an averaging time of about 1 day and a sub-10−17 level at an averaging time of one week.