Search Publications
Precision measurements of the magnetic parameters of LISA Pathfinder test masses
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Nofrarias, M. +76 more
A precise characterization of the magnetic properties of LISA Pathfinder free falling test-masses is of special interest for future gravitational wave observatory in space. Magnetic forces have an important impact on the instrument sensitivity in the low frequency regime below the millihertz. In this paper we report on the magnetic injection exper…
In-depth analysis of LISA Pathfinder performance results: Time evolution, noise projection, physical models, and implications for LISA
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Nofrarias, M. +78 more
We present an in-depth analysis of the LISA Pathfinder differential acceleration performance over the entire course of its science operations, spanning approximately 500 days. We find: (1) The evolution of the Brownian noise that dominates the acceleration amplitude spectral density (ASD), for frequencies f≳1 mHz, is consistent with the decaying p…
Sensor noise in L I S A P a t h f i n d e r : Laser frequency noise and its coupling to the optical test mass readout
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Sanjuan, J. +84 more
The LISA Pathfinder (LPF) mission successfully demonstrated the feasibility of the technology needed for the future space borne gravitational wave observatory LISA. A key subsystem under study was the laser interferometer, which measured the changes in relative distance in between two test masses (TMs). It achieved a sensitivity of 32.0-1.7
Nano-Newton electrostatic force actuators for femto-Newton-sensitive measurements: System performance test in the LISA Pathfinder mission
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Nofrarias, M. +89 more
Electrostatic force actuation is a key component of the system of geodesic reference test masses (TM) for the LISA orbiting gravitational wave observatory and in particular for performance at low frequencies, below 1 mHz, where the observatory sensitivity is limited by stray force noise. The system needs to apply forces of order 10-9 N …
Tilt-to-length coupling in LISA Pathfinder: Long-term stability
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Sanjuan, J. +75 more
The tilt-to-length coupling during the LISA Pathfinder mission has been numerically and analytically modeled for particular time spans. In this work, we investigate the long-term stability of the coupling coefficients of this noise. We show that they drifted slowly (by
First search for ultralight dark matter with a space-based gravitational-wave antenna: LISA Pathfinder
Miller, Andrew L.; Mendes, Luis
We present here results from the first-ever search for dark-photon dark matter that could have coupled to baryons in LISA Pathfinder, the technology demonstrator for a space-based gravitational-wave antenna. After analyzing approximately three months of data taken by LISA Pathfinder in the frequency range [2 ×10-5,5 ] Hz , corresponding…
Charging of free-falling test masses in orbit due to cosmic rays: Results from LISA Pathfinder
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Nofrarias, M. +72 more
A comprehensive summary of the measurements made to characterize test-mass charging due to the space environment during the LISA Pathfinder mission is presented. Measurements of the residual charge of the test mass after release by the grabbing and positioning mechanism show that the initial charge of the test masses was negative after all release…
Tilt-to-length coupling in LISA Pathfinder: A data analysis
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Sanjuan, J. +76 more
We present a study of the tilt-to-length coupling noise during the LISA Pathfinder mission and how it depended on the system's alignment. Tilt-to-length coupling noise is the unwanted coupling of angular and lateral spacecraft or test mass motion into the primary interferometric displacement readout. It was one of the major noise sources in the LI…
Tilt-to-length coupling in LISA Pathfinder: Analytical modeling
Hartig, Marie-Sophie; Wanner, Gudrun
Tilt-to-length coupling was the limiting noise source in LISA Pathfinder between 20 and 200 mHz before subtraction in postprocessing. To prevent the adding of sensing noise to the data by the subtraction process, the success of this strategy depended on a previous direct noise reduction by test mass alignment. The exact dependency of the level of …
Simulating the charging of isolated free-falling masses from TeV to eV energies: Detailed comparison with LISA Pathfinder results
Hollington, D.; Wass, P. J.; Sumner, T. J. +1 more
A model is presented that explains the charging rate of the LISA Pathfinder test masses by the interplanetary cosmic ray environment. The model incorporates particle-tracking from TeV to eV energies using a combination of GEANT4 and a custom low-energy particle generation and tracking code. The electrostatic environment of the test mass is simulat…