SMuK 2023 – wissenschaftliches Programm
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GR: Fachverband Gravitation und Relativitätstheorie
GR 7: Gravitational Waves I
GR 7.1: Vortrag
Mittwoch, 22. März 2023, 14:00–14:20, ZEU/0260
LISA Pathfinder — •Sarah Paczkowski for the LPF collaboration — Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute), D-30167 Hannover, Germany — Leibniz Universität Hannover, D-30167 Hannover, Germany
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) is a satellite mission to observe gravitational waves in the frequency range from 0.1mHz to 1Hz. In this talk, I will give an overview of its technology demonstrator mission LISA Pathfinder (2015-2017), and how it is paving the way for LISA.
Conceptually, the idea of LISA Pathfinder was to mimic one arm of the triangular LISA constellation. The LISA Pathfinder satellite, therefore, hosted two free-falling test masses and their relative positions and orientations were measured using heterodyne laser interferometry. Combined with a drag-free attitude control system and micronewton thrusters in a quiet environment, a nearly perfect free-fall was achieved. The undesired remaining differential acceleration between the two test masses was only (1.74 ± 0.05) fms−2/√Hz above 2 mHz. This was significantly below the requirements and exceeded expectations. Accordingly, LISA Pathfinder has demonstrated the ability to realise the low-frequency science potential of the LISA mission. The interferometric readout on LISA Pathfinder also worked immediately and reliably throughout the mission with a sensing noise of only 32.0−1.7+2.4 fm/√Hz. Since it will be similar to the local LISA interferometry, LISA Pathfinder has successfully proven this concept to work in space.