A measurement of noise created by fluctuating electrostatic charges on dielectric surfaces using a torsion balance

Campsie, P.; Rowan, S.; Hammond, G.

doi:10.1088/0264-9381/31/17/175007

Cited by 4 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…For several decades, TBs have been developed to a very high degree of sophistication for experiments that require the absence of large disturbances in order to enable the measurement of tiny forces and accelerations. Such experiments include, for example, tests of the equivalence principle [16], measurements of the gravitational constant G [17][18][19], testing the inverse square law [20,21], probing the gravitational coupling between miniature masses [22] and the observation of noise created by fluctuating electrostatic charges on dielec-tric surfaces [23]. TBs have also proven crucial during the development and verification of the GRS for the LPF mission [24][25][26] and have been employed to design simplified versions of this device [27][28][29].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A torsion balance as a weak-force testbed for novel optical inertial sensors

Bergmann,

Cordes,

Gentemann

et al. 2024

Class. Quantum Grav.

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Torsion balances (TBs) are versatile instruments known for their ability to measure tiny forces and accelerations with high precision. We are currently commissioning a new TB facility to support the development and testing of novel optical inertial sensor units for future gravity-related space missions. Here, we report on the status of our apparatus and present first sensitivity curves that demonstrate acceleration and torque sensitivities of 5 ⋅ 10 − 11 m s − 2 and 1 ⋅ 10 − 12 N m H z − 1 at frequencies around 4 m H z , respectively. Capacitive sensors and optical levers measure the dynamics of the system with a displacement sensitivity of down to 9 ⋅ 10 − 10 m H z − 1 for the former and 2 ⋅ 10 − 11 m H z − 1 for the latter. Combining the readout of the suspended inertial member (IM) with environmental sensor signals, the system is characterized, and limiting noise sources are identified. We find that, in particular, the coupling of ambient seismic motion is limiting over a broad frequency range and show that due to its high susceptibility to ground motion, our TB is also a promising platform for exploring ground motion sensing in multiple degrees of freedom. Future upgrades will focus on mitigating seismic noise by controlling the torsion fiber suspension point using piezoelectric actuators and the integration of precision interferometric readout of the IM. These improvements will further increase the sensitivity towards the thermal noise limit which constrains the performance to 1 ⋅ 10 − 13 m s − 2 H z − 1 at 4 m H z .

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A torsion balance as a weak-force testbed for novel optical inertial sensors

Bergmann,

Cordes,

Gentemann

et al. 2024

Class. Quantum Grav.

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“…This method can directly measure the TM potential, but it is dependent on the material properties and is easily disturbed by the environment. Campsie et al [42] introduced a Kelvin probe to measure the TM charge, which is more suitable for measuring the distribution of charge on the TM surface than for measuring the TM net charge.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Test mass charge estimation for the space inertial sensor with extended Kalman filter

Gu,

Cheng,

Hong

et al. 2024

Meas. Sci. Technol.

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Charge Management System (CMS), aimed at mitigating charge-induced noise on an isolated free-falling test mass (TM), is a crucial component of space inertial sensors in various spaceborne gravitational missions. The estimation of TM charge is one of the tasks of CMS, directly impacting CMS performance. However, current methods for TM charge estimation suffer from slow response and significant estimation errors. This paper presents a new charge estimation method that combines the force modulation principle with an extended Kalman filter (EKF). We analyzed the relationship between the TM surface potential and TM motion, then established a mathematical model. The estimation of TM charge is accomplished through the EKF algorithm. A charge estimation simulation model was developed in Simulink, and experiments were conducted to evaluate the performance of the charge estimation methods under varying charge conditions. The experimental results demonstrate that the EKF method obtains more accurate estimation results and faster convergence rates, compared with Kalman Filter (KF) and Quadrature Demodulation (QD) methods. The KF and QD methods show larger errors when the estimated charge is greater than 106e order, meanwhile the QD method exhibits slower convergence rates. The presented method is expected to be beneficial for the CMS of on-orbit inertial sensors.

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Measurement of fluctuations of electrostatic force acting between a dielectric plate and an electrostatic drive

Koptsov

Prokhorov

Mitrofanov

2017

Review of Scientific Instruments

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A setup for the measurement of the noise associated with the interaction of an electrostatic field produced by an electrostatic drive with a fused silica plate is presented. The fused silica plate is a part of a 63 Hz high-Q torsional oscillator. Its oscillations are measured by an optical interferometric sensor. The measurements are PC-controlled and fully automated. A digital post-processing scheme is described, allowing the calculation of the plate rotation angle fluctuations and the evolution of the charge distribution on the surface of the fused silica plate. The characteristic surface charge relaxation time has been purposely kept small on the order 10-10 s. The upper limit of the investigated noise has been obtained. We used this result to estimate the electrostatic drive noise in the Advanced Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) gravitational wave detector at frequencies of about 18 Hz. The obtained upper limit of the strain amplitude spectral density is (1±0.13)⋅10Hz.

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A measurement of noise created by fluctuating electrostatic charges on dielectric surfaces using a torsion balance

Cited by 4 publications

References 13 publications

A torsion balance as a weak-force testbed for novel optical inertial sensors

A torsion balance as a weak-force testbed for novel optical inertial sensors

Test mass charge estimation for the space inertial sensor with extended Kalman filter

Measurement of fluctuations of electrostatic force acting between a dielectric plate and an electrostatic drive

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