LISA Pathfinder test-mass charging during galactic cosmic-ray flux short-term variations

Journal
Date Issued
2015
Author(s)
Grimani, C.
•
Fabi, M.
•
Lobo, A.
•
Mateos, I.
•
DOI
Abstract
Metal free-floating test masses aboard the future interferometers devoted to gravitational wave detection in space are charged by galactic and solar cosmic rays with energies \gt 100 MeV/n. This process represents one of the main sources of noise in the lowest frequency band (\lt 10-3 Hz) of these experiments. We study here the charging of the LISA Pathfinder (LISA-PF) gold-platinum test masses due to galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) protons and helium nuclei with the Fluka Monte Carlo toolkit. Projections of the energy spectra of GCRs during the LISA-PF operations in 2015 are considered. This work was carried out on the basis of the solar activity level and solar polarity epoch expected for LISA-PF. The effects of GCR short-term variations are evaluated here for the first time. Classical Forbush decreases, GCR variations induced by the Sun rotation, and fluctuations in the LISA-PF frequency bandwidth are discussed.
Volume
32
Issue
3
Start page
035001
Uri
Url
Issn Identifier
0264-9381
Ads BibCode
2015CQGra..32c5001G
Rights
open.access
File(s)
Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name

CQG_CG_ST.pdf

Description
postprint
Size

1.25 MB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

47ed2e63ab86ffbd650b95184f8cbb9a

Loading...
Thumbnail Image
Name

P16_Grimani_et_al_2015.pdf

Description
[Administrators only]
Size

931.08 KB

Format

Adobe PDF

Checksum (MD5)

486a7cb5cd68e09000792e6daef5c318