Finite Temporal Correlation Scale in GNSS Satellite Clock Residuals: A Comparative Test of Time-Response Models

Finite Temporal Correlation Scale in GNSS Satellite Clock Residuals: A Comparative Test of Time-Response Models | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Finite Temporal Correlation Scale in GNSS Satellite Clock Residuals: A Comparative Test of Time-Response Models Takahiro Mitsui This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8904938/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract We analyze high-rate GNSS satellite clock time series (31 GPS satellites) and report a robust correlation feature at a characteristic lag of τ ≃ 30–40 min. The signal is extracted from residual clock-bias time series obtained after subtracting a scaledependent time-response model fit (TFGR residuals). Using stacked autocorrelation functions (ACF) across satellites and phase-randomized surrogate ensembles, the peak within the target band reaches z ∼ 15–20 for multiple independent orbit/clock products (JPL and WUM). We further test whether simpler “null” explanations can reproduce the same structure. Pure-delay differencing, moving-average detrending, and AR(1)-whitening do not remove nor mimic the band-limited peak, indicating that the 30–40 min structure is not an artifact of generic low-frequency trends or short-memory stochasticity. Finally, the peak strength is approximately stable when the data are partitioned by orbital phase and by contiguous time blocks, suggesting that the effect is not confined to specific geometries or brief intervals. Theoretical Physics GNSS satellite clocks Atomic clock time series Temporal correlation Time-response models Autocorrelation analysis Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8904938","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":593021708,"identity":"d573f188-16b9-4225-8315-d6a373bedc66","order_by":0,"name":"Takahiro Mitsui","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA9klEQVRIiWNgGAWjYHACNiCqSTBgb2A8kFAB5DMzN+BVzwPRcizBgOcAw4EPZ0BaGInSwpxgIJHAcHBmG0iMgBZ7sQNsjwvK2PLMGdIfHOadVxvN3w7U8qNiG25bpBPYjWeckym2bDhjcJh32/HcGYcZGxh7ztzGp4VNmreNLXHDwR4GoJZjuQ1ALcyMbQS1MCduOMwOdNicY7nziddyjMHg4MyGmtwNBLXcTmyT5jl3rNiyh8fgwIdjB3I3ArUcxOcX9tnJx6R5ymryzOWfP3yQUFOXO+/84YMPflTg1oIeC4fB5AE86jFAHSmKR8EoGAWjYIQAABoUXQvcwduMAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0009-0006-6576-0352","institution":"","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Takahiro","middleName":"","lastName":"Mitsui","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-02-18 01:19:16","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":{"humanSubjects":false,"vertebrateSubjects":false,"conflictsOfInterestStatement":false,"humanSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false,"humanSubjectConsent":false,"humanSubjectClinicalTrial":false,"humanSubjectCaseReport":false,"vertebrateSubjectEthicalGuidelines":false},"doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8904938/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8904938/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":103049995,"identity":"12d469ca-c96a-4662-84c4-ca0fd1cf5993","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-20 07:47:36","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":387483,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"FiniteTemporalCorrelationScaleinGNSSSatelliteClockResidualsAComparativeTestofTimeResponseModels.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8904938/v1_covered_93878d71-c199-4ea7-b7d2-06bf0c2d25ae.pdf"}],"financialInterests":"The authors declare no competing interests.","formattedTitle":"\u003cp\u003eFinite Temporal Correlation Scale in GNSS Satellite Clock Residuals:\u003c/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA Comparative Test of Time-Response Models\u003c/p\u003e","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"GNSS satellite clocks, Atomic clock time series, Temporal correlation, Time-response models, Autocorrelation analysis","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8904938/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8904938/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eWe analyze high-rate GNSS satellite clock time series (31 GPS satellites) and report a robust correlation feature at a characteristic lag of τ ≃ 30–40 min. 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