Noise characterization for LISA

Characterization of photoreceivers for LISA

LISA will use quadrant photoreceivers as front-end devices for the phasemeter measuring the motion of drag-free test masses in both angular orientation and separation. We have set up a laboratory testbed for the characterization of photoreceivers. Some of the limiting noise sources have been identified and their contribution has been either measured or determined from the measured data. We have...

Capacitance Position Sensor for LISA Noise Measurement

This paper discusses two techniques investigated for use in a capacitance-based position sensor for the Eöt-Wash LISA noise measurement. The advantages and disadvantages of both techniques are reviewed and some elementary mathematical analysis is presented. A prototype implementation based on the more successful of the two techniques has been constructed.

Coupling characterization and noise studies of the optical metrology system onboard the LISA Pathfinder mission.

We describe the first investigations of the complete engineering model of the optical metrology system (OMS), a key subsystem of the LISA Pathfinder science mission to space. The latter itself is a technological precursor mission to LISA, a spaceborne gravitational wave detector. At its core, the OMS consists of four heterodyne Mach-Zehnder interferometers, a highly stable laser with an externa...

Cell Characterization for Noise Stability

Binaries for LISA

Binaries sufficiently compact to be observed with LISA consist of small stars, with both chosen from the following list: low-mass main sequence stars, white dwarfs, neutron stars, black holes or helium-burning cores of high-mass stars. The numbers of various types of binaries can be derived from observations, provided that observational selection effects are taken into account. They can also be...