Search Publications
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…
Residual gas damping noise in constrained volume in space-borne gravitational wave detection
Luo, Jie; Tan, Yu-Jie; Shao, Cheng-Gang +4 more
The residual gas damping in the enclosure surrounding a free-fall test mass is an important limiting factor for the sensitivity of some space detection missions. We present a constrained volume damping model for space-borne gravitational wave detection, which depends on the escape time needed for a molecule to diffuse out of the gap between two ad…
Development of a dynamical model of a release mechanism for in-flight performance prediction
Dalla Ricca, Edoardo; Bortoluzzi, Daniele; Vignotto, Davide +1 more
LISA Pathfinder (LPF) was an ESA mission which was launched to test the most relevant technologies for the forthcoming mission, named LISA, which will be the first gravitational wave observer in space. The LPF payload includes two gravitational reference sensors, each one containing the sensing body of the experiment, i.e. a cubic-shaped test-mass…
Noise effect of test mass surface roughness in spaceborne gravitational wave detectors
Wang, Shun; Yan, Hao; Miao, Haixing +2 more
The spaceborne gravitational wave detection mission has a demanding requirement for the precision of displacement sensing, which is conducted by the interaction between the laser field and test mass. However, due to the roughness of the reflecting surface of the test mass, the displacement measurement along the sensitive axis suffers a coupling er…
The Role of Friction in the LISA-Pathfinder Release Mechanism Anomaly
Bortoluzzi, Daniele; Vignotto, Davide; Radaelli, Paolo +4 more
Release mechanisms are crucial devices for the success of space missions. In LISA, the first gravitational waves observatory in space, the grabbing positioning and release mechanism (GPRM) is responsible for setting all the test masses (TMs) in the free-fall condition necessary for starting science observations. This mechanism is considered a key …