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Result of the MICROSCOPE weak equivalence principle test
Bergé, Joel; Pernot-Borràs, Martin; Chhun, Ratana +44 more
The space mission MICROSCOPE dedicated to the test of the equivalence principle (EP) operated from April 25, 2016 until the deactivation of the satellite on October 16, 2018. In this analysis we compare the free-fall accelerations (a A and a B) of two test masses in terms of the Eötvös parameter $\eta (\text{A,B})=2\frac{{a}_…
MICROSCOPE. mission analysis, requirements and expected performance
Bergé, Joel; Chhun, Ratana; Métris, Gilles +16 more
The MICROSCOPE mission aimed to test the weak equivalence principle (WEP) to a precision of 10-15. The WEP states that two bodies fall at the same rate on a gravitational field independently of their mass or composition. In MICROSCOPE, two masses of different compositions (titanium and platinum alloys) are placed on a quasi-circular tra…
MICROSCOPE's constraint on a short-range fifth force
Bergé, Joel; Pernot-Borràs, Martin; Uzan, Jean-Philippe +5 more
The MICROSCOPE experiment was designed to test the weak equivalence principle in space, by comparing the low-frequency dynamics of cylindrical 'free-falling' test masses controlled by electrostatic forces. We use data taken during technical sessions aimed at estimating the electrostatic stiffness of MICROSCOPE's sensors to constrain a short-range …
MICROSCOPE satellite and its drag-free and attitude control system
Bergé, Joel; Chhun, Ratana; Métris, Gilles +14 more
This paper focuses on the description of the design and performance of the MICROSCOPE satellite and its drag-free and attitude control system. The satellite is derived from CNES' Myriade platform family, albeit with significant upgrades dictated by the unprecedented MICROSCOPE's mission requirements. The 300 kg drag-free microsatellite has complet…
MICROSCOPE mission: data analysis principle
Bergé, Joel; Chhun, Ratana; Métris, Gilles +10 more
After performing highly sensitive acceleration measurements during two years of drag-free flight around the Earth, MICROSCOPE provided the best constraint on the weak equivalence principle (WEP) to date. Beside being a technological challenge, this experiment required a specialised data analysis pipeline to look for a potential small signal buried…
Microscope instrument in-flight characterization
Bergé, Joel; Chhun, Ratana; Métris, Gilles +12 more
Since the MICROSCOPE instrument aims to measure accelerations as low as a few 10-15 m s-2 and cannot operate on ground, it was necessary to have a large time dedicated to its characterization in flight. After its release and first operation, the characterization experiments covered all the aspects of the instrument design in …
MICROSCOPE instrument description and validation
Bergé, Joel; Chhun, Ratana; Métris, Gilles +19 more
This paper focuses on the dedicated accelerometers developed for the MICROSCOPE mission taking into account the specific range of acceleration to be measured on board the satellite. Considering one micro-g and even less as the full range of the instrument with an objective of one femto-g resolution, that leads to a customized concept and a high-pe…
MICROSCOPE: systematic errors
Bergé, Joel; Chhun, Ratana; Métris, Gilles +19 more
The MICROSCOPE mission aims to test the weak equivalence principle (WEP) in orbit with an unprecedented precision of 10-15 on the Eötvös parameter thanks to electrostatic accelerometers on board a drag-free micro-satellite. The precision of the test is determined by statistical errors, due to the environment and instrument noises, and b…
MICROSCOPE mission scenario, ground segment and data processing
Bergé, Joel; Chhun, Ratana; Métris, Gilles +9 more
Testing the weak equivalence principle to a precision of 10-15 requires a quantity of data that give enough confidence on the final result: ideally, the longer the measurement the better the rejection of the statistical noise. The science sessions had a duration of 120 orbits maximum and were regularly repeated and spaced out to accommo…
MICROSCOPE mission: statistics and impact of glitches on the test of the weak equivalence principle
Bergé, Joel; Métris, Gilles; Rodrigues, Manuel +6 more
MICROSCOPE's space test of the weak equivalence principle (WEP) is based on the minute measurement of the difference of accelerations experienced by two test masses as they orbit the Earth. A detection of a violation of the WEP would appear at a well-known frequency f EP depending on the satellite's orbital and spinning frequencies. Con…