Approaching Free Fall on Two Degrees of Freedom: Simultaneous Measurement of Residual Force and Torque on a Double Torsion Pendulum

Journal
Date Issued
2016
Author(s)
Bassan, M.
•
Cavalleri, A.
•
De Laurentis, M.
•
De Marchi, F.
•
De Rosa, R.
•
Di Fiore, L.
•
Dolesi, R.
•
Finetti, N.
•
Garufi, F.
•
•
Hueller, M.
•
Marconi, L.
•
Milano, L.
•
Pucacco, G.
•
Stanga, R.
•
•
Vitale, S.
•
Weber, W. J.
DOI
Abstract
A torsion pendulum with 2 soft degrees of freedom (DOFs), realized by off-axis cascading two torsion fibers, has been built and operated. This instrument helps characterize the geodesic motion of a test mass for LISA Pathfinder or any other free-fall space mission, providing information on cross talk and other effects that cannot be detected when monitoring a single DOF. We show that it is possible to simultaneously measure both the residual force and the residual torque acting on a quasifree test mass. As an example of the investigations that a double pendulum allows, we report the measurement of the force-to-torque cross talk, i.e., the amount of actuation signal, produced by applying a force on the suspended test mass, that leaks into the rotational DOF, detected by measuring the corresponding (unwanted) torque.
Volume
116
Issue
5
Start page
051104
Uri
Url
Issn Identifier
0031-9007
Ads BibCode
2016PhRvL.116e1104B
Rights
open.access
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