Capacitive sensing of test mass motion with nanometer precision over millimeter-wide sensing gaps for space-borne gravitational reference sensors
Journal
Date Issued
2017
Author(s)
Armano, M.
•
Audley, H.
•
Auger, G.
•
Baird, J.
•
Bassan, M.
•
Binetruy, P.
•
Born, M.
•
Bortoluzzi, D.
•
Brandt, N.
•
Caleno, M.
•
Cavalleri, A.
•
Cesarini, A.
•
Cruise, A. M.
•
Danzmann, K.
•
de Deus Silva, M.
•
De Rosa, R.
•
Di Fiore, L.
•
Diepholz, I.
•
Dixon, G.
•
Dolesi, R.
•
Dunbar, N.
•
Ferraioli, L.
•
Ferroni, V.
•
Fitzsimons, E. D.
•
Flatscher, R.
•
Freschi, M.
•
García Marirrodriga, C.
•
Gerndt, R.
•
Gesa, L.
•
Gibert, F.
•
Giardini, D.
•
Giusteri, R.
•
•
Grimani, C.
•
Grzymisch, J.
•
Harrison, I.
•
Heinzel, G.
•
Hewitson, M.
•
Hollington, D.
•
Hoyland, D.
•
Hueller, M.
•
Inchauspé, H.
•
Jennrich, O.
•
Jetzer, P.
•
Johlander, B.
•
Karnesis, N.
•
Kaune, B.
•
Korsakova, N.
•
Killow, C. J.
•
Lobo, J. A.
•
Lloro, I.
•
Liu, L.
•
López-Zaragoza, J. P.
•
Maarschalkerweerd, R.
•
Mance, D.
•
Martín, V.
•
Martin-Polo, L.
•
Martino, J.
•
Martin-Porqueras, F.
•
Madden, S.
•
Mateos, I.
•
McNamara, P. W.
•
Mendes, J.
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Mendes, L.
•
Meshksar, N.
•
Nofrarias, M.
•
Paczkowski, S.
•
Perreur-Lloyd, M.
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Petiteau, A.
•
Pivato, P.
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Plagnol, E.
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Prat, P.
•
Ragnit, U.
•
Ramos-Castro, J.
•
Reiche, J.
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Robertson, D. I.
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Rozemeijer, H.
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Rivas, F.
•
•
Sarra, P.
•
Schleicher, A.
•
Slutsky, J.
•
Sopuerta, C. F.
•
Stanga, R.
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Sumner, T. J.
•
Texier, D.
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Thorpe, J. I.
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Trenkel, C.
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Tröbs, M.
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Vetrugno, D.
•
Vitale, S.
•
Wanner, G.
•
Ward, H.
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Wass, P. J.
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Wealthy, D.
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Weber, W. J.
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Wissel, L.
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Wittchen, A.
•
Zambotti, A.
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Zanoni, C.
•
Ziegler, T.
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Zweifel, P.
•
LISA Pathfinder Collaboration
Abstract
We report on the performance of the capacitive gap-sensing system of the Gravitational Reference Sensor on board the LISA Pathfinder spacecraft. From in-flight measurements, the system has demonstrated a performance, down to 1 mHz, that is ranging between 0.7 and 1.8 aF Hz-1 /2 . That translates into a sensing noise of the test mass motion within 1.2 and 2.4 nm Hz-1 /2 in displacement and within 83 and 170 nrad Hz-1 /2 in rotation. This matches the performance goals for LISA Pathfinder, and it allows the successful implementation of the gravitational waves observatory LISA. A 1 /f tail has been observed for frequencies below 1 mHz, the tail has been investigated in detail with dedicated in-flight measurements, and a model is presented in the paper. A projection of such noise to frequencies below 0.1 mHz shows that an improvement of performance at those frequencies is desirable for the next generation of gravitational reference sensors for space-borne gravitational waves observation.
Volume
96
Issue
6
Start page
062004
Issn Identifier
2470-0010
Ads BibCode
2017PhRvD..96f2004A
Rights
open.access
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