Berlin 2015 – scientific programme

Parts | Days | Selection | Search | Updates | Downloads | Help

GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie

GR 12: Gravitational Waves

GR 12.1: Talk

Wednesday, March 18, 2015, 17:10–17:30, H 2013

LISA Pathfinder — •Martin Hewitson — Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik und Universitaet Hannover Callinstr. 38, 30167 Hannover, Germany

LISA Pathfinder (LPF) is a precursor and technology validation mission for LISA-like Gravitational Wave Observatories in space. Some of the key technology needed for these observatories, such as micro-Newton propulsion, space-based optical metrology, drag-free control, and inertial sensing, will be directly tested on LPF. With a scheduled launch date of July 2015, the mission is at an advanced stage of integration and testing, and the training and preparation for science operations is well underway. This talk will give an overview of the overall mission, giving the status of the various key components, a discussion on the key noise sources, and a brief introduction to the experiments and activities of the science operations phase.