Publications

Title	Sub-Femto-g Free Fall for Space-Based Gravitational Wave Observatories: LISA Pathfinder Results
Authors	Armano, M. , Audley, H. , Auger, G. , Baird, J. T. , Bassan, M. , Binetruy, P. , Born, M. , Bortoluzzi, D. , Brandt, N. , Caleno, M. , Carbone, L. , Cavalleri, A. , Cesarini, A. , Ciani, G. , Congedo, G. , Cruise, A. M. , Danzmann, K. , de Deus Silva, M. , De Rosa, R. , Diaz-Aguilo, M. , Di Fiore, L. , Diepholz, I. , Dixon, G. , Dolesi, R. , Dunbar, N. , Ferraioli, L. , Ferroni, V. , Fichter, W. , Fitzsimons, E. D. , Flatscher, R. , Freschi, M. , Marin, A. F. Garcia , Marirrodriga, C. Garcia , Gerndt, R. , Gesa, L. , Gibert, F. , Giardini, D. , Giusteri, R. , Guzman, F. , Grado, A. , Grimani, C. , Grynagier, A. , Grzymisch, J. , Harrison, I. , Heinzel, G. , Hewitson, M. , Hollington, D. , Hoyland, D. , Hueller, M. , Inchauspe, H. , Jennrich, O. , Jetzer, P. , Johann, U. , Johlander, B. , Karnesis, N. , Kaune, B. , Korsakova, N. , Killow, C. J. , Lobo, J. A. , Lloro, I. , Liu, L. , Lopez-Zaragoza, J. P. , Maarschalkerweerd, R. , Mance, D. , Martin, V. , Martin-Polo, L. , Martino, J. , Martin-Porqueras, F. , Madden, S. , Mateos, I. , McNamara, P. W. , Mendes, J. , Mendes, L. , Monsky, A. , Nicolodi, D. , Nofrarias, M. , Paczkowski, S. , Perreur-Lloyd, M. , Petiteau, A. , Pivato, P. , Plagnol, E. , Prat, P. , Ragnit, U. , Rais, B. , Ramos-Castro, J. , Reiche, J. , Robertson, D. I. , Rozemeijer, H. , RIVAS GARCÍA, FRANCISCO, Russano, G. , Sanjuan, J. , Sarra, P. , Schleicher, A. , Shaul, D. , Slutsky, J. , Sopuerta, C. F. , Stanga, R. , Steier, F. , Sumner, T. , Texier, D. , Thorpe, J. I. , Trenkel, C. , Troebs, M. , Tu, H. B. , Vetrugno, D. , Vitale, S. , Wand, V. , Wanner, G. , Ward, H. , Warren, C. , Wass, P. J. , Wealthy, D. , Weber, W. J. , Wissel, L. , Wittchen, A. , Zambotti, A. , Zanoni, C. , Ziegler, T. , Zweifel, P.
External publication	Si
Means	Phys. Rev. Lett.
Scope	Article
Nature	Científica
JCR Quartile	1
SJR Quartile	1
JCR Impact	8.46200
SJR Impact	4.19600
Publication date	07/06/2016
ISI	000377338100005
DOI	10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.231101
Abstract	We report the first results of the LISA Pathfinder in-flight experiment. The results demonstrate that two free-falling reference test masses, such as those needed for a space-based gravitational wave observatory like LISA, can be put in free fall with a relative acceleration noise with a square root of the power spectral density of 5.2 +/- 0.1 fm s(-2)/root Hz, or (0.54 +/- 0.01) x 10(-15) g/root Hz, with g the standard gravity, for frequencies between 0.7 and 20 mHz. This value is lower than the LISA Pathfinder requirement by more than a factor 5 and within a factor 1.25 of the requirement for the LISA mission, and is compatible with Brownian noise from viscous damping due to the residual gas surrounding the test masses. Above 60 mHz the acceleration noise is dominated by interferometer displacement readout noise at a level of (34.8 +/- 0.3) fm/root Hz, about 2 orders of magnitude better than requirements. At f <= 0.5 mHz we observe a low-frequency tail that stays below 12 fm s(-2)/root Hz down to 0.1 mHz. This performance would allow for a space-based gravitational wave observatory with a sensitivity close to what was originally foreseen for LISA.
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