VLBI difference astrometry at 43GHz

Abstract

From 43GHz VLBA observations of the pair of radio sources 1928+738 and 2007+777 we have demonstrated the feasibility of precision phase-delay differential astrometric techniques at millimeter wavelengths. For a pair of sources with 5 degrees separation and high antenna elevations, we have shown that present astrometric models and millimeter arrays are advanced enough to model the differential phase-delay to within 2 picoseconds, less than one tenth of a phase-cycle at 43GHz. The root-mean-square of the differential phase-delay residuals is dominated by the fluctuations of the atmospheric water vapor. We have determined the relative position of the observed sources with a precision twofold better than previous determinations at lower frequencies and, more importantly, largely free from ambiguous definitions of the reference point on the structure of the radio sources. Our result makes 43GHz VLBI phase-delay differential astrometry an ideal tool to study the absolute kinematics of the highly variable structures of regions near the core of extragalactic radio sources.