Improving TWSTFT short-term stability by network time transfer

Two-way satellite time and frequency transfer (TWSTFT) is one of the major techniques to compare the atomic time scales between timing laboratories. As more and more TWSTFT measurements have been performed, the large number of point-to-point 2-way time transfer links has grown to be a complex network. For future improvement of the TWSTFT performance, it is important to reduce measurement noise of the TWSTFT results. One method is using TWSTFT network time transfer. The Asia-Pacific network is an exceptional case of simultaneous TWSTFT measurements. Some indirect links through relay stations show better short term stabilities than the direct link because the measurement noise may be neutralized in a simultaneous measurement network. In this paper, the authors propose a feasible method to improve the short-term stability by combining the direct and indirect links in the network. Through the comparisons of time deviation (TDEV), the results of network time transfer exhibit clear improved short-term stabilities. For the links used to compare 2 hydrogen masers, the average gain of TDEV at averaging times of 1 h is 22%. As TWSTFT short-term stability can be improved by network time transfer, the network may allow a larger number of simultaneously transmitting stations.