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Charging of free-falling test masses in orbit due to cosmic rays: Results from LISA Pathfinder

M. Armano1, H. Audley2, J. Baird3, P. Binetruy4,*, M. Born2, D. Bortoluzzi5, E. Castelli6,‡, A. Cavalleri7, A. Cesarini8 et al.

A. M. Cruise9, K. Danzmann2, M. de Deus Silva10, I. Diepholz2, G. Dixon9, R. Dolesi6, L. Ferraioli11, V. Ferroni6, E. D. Fitzsimons12, M. Freschi10, L. Gesa13,*, D. Giardini11, F. Gibert6,§, R. Giusteri2, C. Grimani8, J. Grzymisch1, I. Harrison14, M.-S. Hartig2, G. Heinzel2, M. Hewitson2, D. Hollington15, D. Hoyland9, M. Hueller6, H. Inchauspé3,∥, O. Jennrich1, P. Jetzer16, N. Karnesis3, B. Kaune2, C. J. Killow17, N. Korsakova3, J. A. Lobo13,*, J. P. López-Zaragoza13, R. Maarschalkerweerd14, D. Mance11, V. Martín13, J. Martino3, L. Martin-Polo10, F. Martin-Porqueras10, P. W. McNamara1, J. Mendes14, L. Mendes10, N. Meshksar11, M. Nofrarias13, S. Paczkowski2, M. Perreur-Lloyd17, A. Petiteau3,4, E. Plagnol3, J. Ramos-Castro18, J. Reiche2, F. Rivas13,¶, D. I. Robertson17, G. Russano6,**, J. Slutsky19, C. F. Sopuerta13, T. J. Sumner15,20, D. Texier10, J. I. Thorpe19, D. Vetrugno6, S. Vitale6, G. Wanner2, H. Ward17, P. J. Wass15,21,†, W. J. Weber6, L. Wissel2, A. Wittchen2, and P. Zweifel11

  • 1European Space Technology Centre, European Space Agency, Keplerlaan 1, 2200 AG Noordwijk, Netherlands
  • 2Albert-Einstein-Institut, Max-Planck-Institut für Gravitationsphysik und Leibniz Universität Hannover, Callinstraße 38, 30167 Hannover, Germany
  • 3Université Paris Cité, CNRS, Astroparticule et Cosmologie, F-75013 Paris, France
  • 4IRFU, CEA, Université Paris-Saclay, F-91191 Gif-sur-Yvette, France
  • 5Department of Industrial Engineering and Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Application/INFN, University of Trento, via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy
  • 6Dipartimento di Fisica, Università di Trento and Trento Institute for Fundamental Physics and Application/INFN, 38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
  • 7Istituto di Fotonica e Nanotecnologie, CNR-Fondazione Bruno Kessler, I-38123 Povo, Trento, Italy
  • 8DISPEA, Università di Urbino “Carlo Bo”, Via Santa Chiara, 27 61029 Urbino/INFN, Italy
  • 9The School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT, United Kingdom
  • 10European Space Astronomy Centre, European Space Agency, Villanueva de la Cañada, 28692 Madrid, Spain
  • 11Institut für Geophysik, ETH Zürich, Sonneggstrasse 5, CH-8092, Zürich, Switzerland
  • 12The UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, United Kingdom
  • 13Institut de Ciències de l’Espai (ICE, CSIC), Campus UAB, Carrer de Can Magrans s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
  • 14European Space Operations Centre, European Space Agency, 64293 Darmstadt, Germany
  • 15Physics Department, High Energy Physics Group, Imperial College London, Blackett Laboratory, Prince Consort Road, London, SW7 2BW, United Kingdom
  • 16Physik Institut, Universität Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zürich, Switzerland
  • 17SUPA, Institute for Gravitational Research, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, United Kingdom
  • 18Department d’Enginyeria Electrònica, Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
  • 19Gravitational Astrophysics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA
  • 20Department of Physics, P.O. Box 118440, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA
  • 21Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, MAE-A, P.O. Box 116250, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611, USA

  • *Deceased.
  • †Corresponding author. pwass@ufl.edu
  • ‡Present address: Gravitational Astrophysics Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, 8800 Greenbelt Road, Greenbelt, Maryland 20771, USA.
  • §Present address: isardSAT SL, Marie Curie 8-14, 08042 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain.
  • ∥Present address: Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Heidelberg, Philosophenweg 16, 69120 Heidelberg, Germany.
  • Present address: Department of Quantitative Methods, Universidad Loyola Andalucía, Avenida de las Universidades s/n, 41704 Dos Hermanas, Sevilla, Spain.
  • **Present address: INAF Osservatorio Astronomico di Capodimonte, I-80131 Napoli, Italy.
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Phys. Rev. D 107, 062007 – Published 22 March, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevD.107.062007

Abstract

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 releases, leaving the test mass with a potential in the range from −12 to −512. Variations in the neutral test-mass charging rate between 21.7 and 30.7  e s−1 were observed over the course of the 17-month science operations produced by cosmic ray flux changes including a Forbush decrease associated with a small solar energetic particle event. A dependence of the cosmic ray charging rate on the test-mass potential between −30.2 and −40.3  e s−1 V−1 was observed resulting in an equilibrium test-mass potential between 670 and 960 mV, and this is attributed to a contribution to charging from low-energy electrons emitted from the gold surfaces of the gravitational reference sensor. Data from the onboard particle detector show a reliable correlation with the charging rate and with other environmental monitors of the cosmic ray flux. This correlation is exploited to extrapolate test-mass charging rates to a 20-year period giving useful insight into the expected range of charging rate that may be observed in the LISA mission.

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Phys. Rev. D 107, 062007– Published 22 March, 2023
  • Received 17 November 2022
  • Accepted 6 March 2023
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