P. Wass

LISA Pathfinder: mission and status

LISA Pathfinder, the second of the European Space Agencys Small Missions for Advanced Research in Technology (SMART), is a dedicated technology demonstrator for the joint ESA/NASA Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission. The technologies required for LISA are many and extremely challenging. This coupled with the fact that some flight hardware cannot be fully tested on ground due to Earth-induced noise led to the implementation of the LISA Pathfinder mission to test the critical LISA technologies in a flight environment. LISA Pathfinder essentially mimics one arm of the LISA constellation by shrinking the 5 million kilometre armlength down to a few tens of centimetres, giving up the sensitivity to gravitational waves, but keeping the measurement technology: the distance between the two test masses is measured using a laser interferometric technique similar to one aspect of the LISA interferometry system. The scientific objective of the LISA Pathfinder mission consists then of the first in-flight test of low frequency gravitational wave detection metrology. LISA Pathfinder is due to be launched in 2013 on-board a dedicated small launch vehicle (VEGA). After a series of apogee raising manoeuvres using an expendable propulsion module, LISA Pathfinder will enter a transfer orbit towards the first Sun?Earth Lagrange point (L1). After separation from the propulsion module, the LPF spacecraft will be stabilized using the micro-Newton thrusters, entering a 500?000 km by 800?000 km Lissajous orbit around L1. Science results will be available approximately 2 months after launch.

Detailed calculation of test-mass charging in the LISA mission

Abstract The electrostatic charging of the LISA test masses due to exposure of the spacecraft to energetic particles in the space environment has implications in the design and operation of the gravitational inertial sensors and can affect the quality of the science data. Robust predictions of charging rates and associated stochastic fluctuations are therefore required for the exposure scenarios expected throughout the mission. We report on detailed charging simulations with the Geant4 toolkit, using comprehensive geometry and physics models, for Galactic cosmic-ray protons and helium nuclei. These predict positive charging rates of 50+e/s (elementary charges per second) for solar minimum conditions, decreasing by half at solar maximum, and current fluctuations of up to 30+e/s/Hz 1/2 . Charging from sporadic solar events involving energetic protons was also investigated. Using an event-size distribution model, we conclude that their impact on the LISA science data is manageable. Several physical processes hitherto unexplored as potential charging mechanisms have also been assessed. Significantly, the kinetic emission of very low-energy secondary electrons due to bombardment of the inertial sensors by primary cosmic rays and their secondaries can produce charging currents comparable with the Monte Carlo rates.

Increased Brownian force noise from molecular impacts in a constrained volume.

We report on residual-gas damping of the motion of a macroscopic test mass enclosed in a nearby housing in the molecular flow regime. The damping coefficient, and thus the associated thermal force noise, is found to increase significantly when the distance between the test mass and surrounding walls is smaller than the test mass itself. The effect has been investigated with two torsion pendulums of different geometry and has been modeled in a numerical simulation whose predictions are in good agreement with the measurements. Relevant to a wide variety of small-force experiments, the residual-gas force noise power for the test masses in the LISA gravitational wave observatory is roughly a factor 15 larger than in an infinite gas volume, though still compatible with the target acceleration noise of 3 fm s(-2) Hz(-1/2) at the foreseen pressure below 10(-6) Pa.

The LISA Pathfinder Mission

In this paper, we describe the current status of the LISA Pathfinder mission, a precursor mission aimed at demonstrating key technologies for future space-based gravitational wave detectors, like LISA. Since much of the flight hardware has already been constructed and tested, we will show that performance measurements and analysis of these flight components lead to an expected performance of the LISA Pathfinder which is a significant improvement over the mission requirements, and which actually reaches the LISA requirements over the entire LISA Pathfinder measurement band.

Evaluation of disturbances due to test mass charging for LISA

This paper concerns the effects of the build-up of electrical charge on the LISA test masses. Charge accumulates on the isolated test masses due to the bombardment of the spacecraft by galactic cosmic rays and solar particles. This will result in forces on the test masses, due to Coulomb and Lorentz interactions, which will disturb their geodesic motion. The three main disturbances associated with this charge are an increase in the test mass acceleration noise, coupling between the test mass and the spacecraft and the appearance of coherent Fourier components in the measurement bandwidth. These disturbances are estimated using the latest charging rate and noise predictions from GEANT4 for both the LISA mission and the technology demonstration mission, LISA Pathfinder, at different times in the solar cycle. The Coulomb disturbances are evaluated based on a detailed 3D, electrostatic, finite element model and submodels of the LTP sensor. These results are compared with those derived using the customary parallel plate approximation to calculate capacitances, and the accuracy of these approximations is assessed for typical parameter settings. The variation of the magnitude of charging disturbances as different parameters are changed, and the management of such disturbances are discussed.

Description of charging/discharging processes of the LISA sensors

The next generation of gravitational experiments in space is likely to use completely isolated proof-masses. For example, LISA uses proof-masses as mirrors in interferometers for gravitational wave astronomy (Bender et al 1998 Pre-phase A report MPG-233 pp 1–191) and STEP uses proof-masses in Earth orbit for an equivalence principle test (Sumner et al 2003 at press). Nongravitational forces will act on these proof-masses if they become charged, through the action of cosmic rays and solar flare particles for example. This paper examines the consequences of proof-mass charging for LISA, and presents results from using GEANT4 to assess the charging processes. Finally, there is a brief discussion of a means of controlling the charge down to an acceptable level.

Brownian force noise from molecular collisions and the sensitivity of advanced gravitational wave observatories

We present an analysis of Brownian force noise from residual gas damping of reference test masses as a fundamental sensitivity limit in small force experiments. The resulting acceleration noise increases significantly when the distance of the test mass to the surrounding experimental apparatus is smaller than the dimension of the test mass itself. For the Advanced LIGO interferometric gravitational wave observatory, where the relevant test mass is a suspended 340 mm diameter cylindrical end mirror, the force noise power is increased by roughly a factor 40 by the presence of a similarly shaped reaction mass at a nominal separation of 5 mm. The force noise, of order 20 fN\rthz\ for

Solar And Cosmic Ray Physics And The Space Environment: Studies For And With LISA

2 \times 10^{-6}

Unwanted, coherent signals in the LISA bandwidth due to test mass charging

Pa of residual H

The LISA Pathfinder DMU and Radiation Monitor

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