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Beyond the Required LISA Free-Fall Performance: New LISA Pathfinder Results down to 20 µ Hz
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Lloro, I. +75 more
In the months since the publication of the first results, the noise performance of LISA Pathfinder has improved because of reduced Brownian noise due to the continued decrease in pressure around the test masses, from a better correction of noninertial effects, and from a better calibration of the electrostatic force actuation. In addition, the ava…
Experimental results from the ST7 mission on LISA Pathfinder
Mendes, L.; Anderson, J.; Cooper, M. +146 more
The Space Technology 7 Disturbance Reduction System (ST7-DRS) is a NASA technology demonstration payload that operated from January 2016 through July 2017 on the European Space Agency's (ESA) LISA Pathfinder spacecraft. The joint goal of the NASA and ESA missions was to validate key technologies for a future space-based gravitational wave observat…
In-orbit performance of the LISA Pathfinder drag-free and attitude control system
Grzymisch, J.; Brandt, N.; Schleicher, A. +5 more
LISA Pathfinder is a technology demonstrator mission that was funded by the European Space Agency and that was launched on December 3, 2015. LISA Pathfinder has been conducting experiments to demonstrate key technologies for the gravitational wave observatory LISA in its operational orbit at the L1 Lagrange point of the Earth-Sun system until fina…
Precision charge control for isolated free-falling test masses: LISA pathfinder results
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Lloro, I. +83 more
The LISA Pathfinder charge management device was responsible for neutralizing the cosmic-ray-induced electric charge that inevitably accumulated on the free-falling test masses at the heart of the experiment. We present measurements made on ground and in flight that quantify the performance of this contactless discharge system which was based on p…
Characteristics and Energy Dependence of Recurrent Galactic Cosmic-Ray Flux Depressions and of a Forbush Decrease with LISA Pathfinder
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Lloro, I. +82 more
Galactic cosmic-ray (GCR) energy spectra observed in the inner heliosphere are modulated by the solar activity, the solar polarity and structures of solar and interplanetary origin. A high counting rate particle detector (PD) aboard LISA Pathfinder, meant for subsystems diagnostics, was devoted to the measurement of GCR and solar energetic particl…
Calibrating the system dynamics of LISA Pathfinder
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Lloro, I. +75 more
LISA Pathfinder (LPF) was a European Space Agency mission with the aim to test key technologies for future space-borne gravitational-wave observatories like LISA. The main scientific goal of LPF was to demonstrate measurements of differential acceleration between free-falling test masses at the sub-femto-g level, and to understand the residual acc…
Measuring the Galactic Cosmic Ray flux with the LISA Pathfinder radiation monitor
Mendes, L.; Russano, G.; Lloro, I. +76 more
Test mass charging caused by cosmic rays will be a significant source of acceleration noise for space-based gravitational wave detectors like LISA. Operating between December 2015 and July 2017, the technology demonstration mission LISA Pathfinder included a bespoke monitor to help characterise the relationship between test mass charging and the l…
Actuation crosstalk in free-falling systems: Torsion pendulum results for the engineering model of the LISA pathfinder gravitational reference sensor
Grado, A.; Cavalleri, A.; Dolesi, R. +17 more
In this paper we report on measurements on actuation crosstalk, relevant to the gravitational reference sensors for LISA Pathfinder and LISA. In these sensors, a Test Mass (TM) falls freely within a system of electrodes used for readout and control. These measurements were carried out on ground with a double torsion pendulum that allowed us to est…
Measuring fN force variations in the presence of constant nN forces: a torsion pendulum ground test of the LISA Pathfinder free-fall mode
Russano, G.; Cavalleri, A.; Cesarini, A. +11 more
LISA Pathfinder is a differential accelerometer with the main goal being to demonstrate the near perfect free-fall of reference test masses, as is needed for an orbiting gravitational wave observatory, with a target sensitivity of 30 fm s-2 Hz-1/2 at 1 mHz. Any lasting background differential acceleration between the two test…
Non-linear quantization error reduction for the temperature measurement subsystem on-board LISA Pathfinder
Sanjuan, J.; Nofrarias, M.
Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Pathfinder is a mission to test the technology enabling gravitational wave detection in space and to demonstrate that sub-femto-g free fall levels are possible. To do so, the distance between two free falling test masses is measured to unprecedented sensitivity by means of laser interferometry. Temperature…