Implications for Geophysics of the Precise Measurement of the Earth's Rotation

A radio interferometer could yield an error on the order of 10(-9) second at the semidiurnal frequency. With errors of this magnitude, yearly changes in the rate at which the earth's rotation is slowing down could be determined. The proposed interferometer could also yield significant improvements in the determination of the Love number k and its variation with frequency, and in the changes in angular momentum of the atmosphere for periods greater than 1 week.