Using single millisecond pulsar for terrestrial position determination

With precise observatory coordinates, we can convert the site arrival times (SATs) of observed pulses to barycenter by adopting correct pulsar timing model. In this paper, we time millisecond pulsars to determine the position of the radio telescope reversely. By using data from the Parkes Pulsar Timing Array (PPTA) project, we show that the position of the Parkes radio telescope can be determined with an error of tens to hundreds of meters. In the presence of “red” timing noise, we apply generalized least-squares (GLS) solution based on “Cholesky” method to provide better position estimations. Meanwhile, we investigate the positioning accuracy with the different data spans. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of single pulsar terrestrial navigation, a few observations from PSR J0437-4715 are used to perform the position determination tests. The statistical results show an overall accuracy of ∼300 m with only three or four observations. As more observations are involved, the positioning accuracy increases significantly.