Absolute ballistic gravimeters

Abstract

Operating principle of modern ballistic gravimeters is based on the measurement of motion parameters of a macroscopic test body or a cloud of cold atoms in the gravity field and calculation of free-fall acceleration using the measured motion parameters from the test body motion equation. There are about 200 transportable ballistic gravimeters in the world, the best of which feature uncertainty of a few units of 10−8 ms−2. Metrological assurance system for absolute gravimeters is being developed. Improvements in absolute gravimeters will allow their use on moving platforms.